Fearful Symmetry
by Act 3
Summary: Both angel and human, both delinquent and hero, both tiger and lamb. Duality is defined as possessing the quality of being dual. An existence consisting of two parts, of two elements. Trapped somewhere between those elements, a young blonde seeks the truth. He is caught in duality, forced to draw lines, to pick sides, as he becomes further entangled within life's fearful symmetry.
1. I Bless the Rains

_Tyger Tyger, burning bright  
In the forests of the night,  
What immortal hand or eye  
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?_

_~.~.~_

_Fearful Symmetry_

_Chapter One: I Bless the Rains_

_~.~.~_

Shutting the door as silently as he could, he sighed in relief, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Turning, he briskly moved over to the front gate and, unlatching it, stepped out onto the empty streets and began to head towards his destination.

Hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, the only things separating him from complete silence—from complete isolation—were the sounds of his sneakers scraping against concrete and the occasional breeze that ran past his ear and blew his disheveled blonde hair from his eyes. Left alone in this near-silence, he craned his head back lazily to stare up at the nothingness of the night sky above, losing himself in his thoughts.

He had always preferred the sun to the moon, always been a morning person as opposed to a night owl.

When he was a young child, he would wake at sunrise and start his day alongside the burning orb in the sky, eager to begin a whole new day of fun and adventure. But as soon as the sun would dip down past the buildings and trees, the very second its sister would take command of the darkening skies from it, he would always be called back inside to bathe and sleep, two activities he liked far less than playing.

That had been the childish reasoning behind his dislike of the night when he was a brat. Now, as a young adult of seventeen years, he had a far different reason for his preferences.

Things changed when night came—it was a simple observation, one he had made when he was young and one that he couldn't fully appreciate until he was older. Take the street he currently walked on, for example. During the day, a mother might be walking her child to the store or an old man might be having a stroll with a beloved pet and companion. Children would run up and down the streets, laughing and joking as they made the most of their time out of school.

Now, during the dead of night, this street was empty, devoid of life except for its lone traveler.

But that alone was not the reason for his dislike of nightfall. Rather, his dislike now stemmed from the kind of life that _did _come out during the night.

Because it was at nighttime that pests came out.

As he reached the end of the block, he made a sharp right and found himself facing the darkened greenery of the local park he often visited as a kid. Under the illumination of the streetlamps, he crossed the road and set himself down the path leading into his childhood haunt. Reaching a bench, he sat himself down and pulled his hands from his pockets, now grasping a lighter and a cigarette. Biting down on the filter, he flicked on the lighter and held it over the end of the smoke before returning it to the confines of his pocket.

Taking a long drag, the blonde leaned back in his seat and waited.

"Well, holy crap. Dumbass actually showed up."

He didn't have to wait long. Lifting his wrist to glance down at his watch, he hummed—midnight on the dot. Sighing, he looked up at the stranger approaching him.

It was at nighttime that pests came out—_all kinds_ of pests.

The person was maybe a year or two older than the blonde himself, with a dark pompadour that he was sure had to be larger than its owner's brain. Underneath said hairdo rested a red pair of shades that concealed their wearer's eyes, though for what reason anyone would need to where them at night was a mystery to the blonde. A white biker jacket with "Crazy Diamonds" embroidered on its breast and a pair of torn jeans completed the ensemble.

It must have been a more popular look than the blonde thought, because the fifteen smirking people behind approaching thug were garbed in identical clothes, carrying a variety of metal bats, steel pipes, and iron chains.

The blonde shrugged, not making any move to stand, _'Guess there's no accounting for taste…'_

As he had observed them, he had no doubt that they were sizing him up as well and making their own judgments. They surely thought his blonde hair and blue eyes made him look foreign, that his orange jacket and white undershirt were stupid and overly-bright (they were wrong, of course, but he didn't have the time to properly educate them on the finer colors), and, while he couldn't think of one, he was also sure they had found some way to mentally insult his faded jeans.

"You are Namikaze, aren't you? Namikaze Naruto? The '_Undefeated Desperado_,' the '_Indestructible Ironman_,' the '_Orange Oyabun-in-Training_,' and, let's not forget, the '_Blood Orange_'?" the pompadour-adorned youth grinned as his band of goons chuckled at that last nickname. The blonde sighed.

"I never liked that last one…" the blonde, Naruto, groaned as he rubbed his temples. It was an unfortunate side-effect of being both the son of the infamous '_Bloody Habanero'_ and enjoying the color orange that had gotten him that little epithet. Shaking his head, he frowned, "Yeah, that's me. So, whaddya want? You know who I am. If you're looking for a way to kill yourself, throwing yourself down some stairs or playing in traffic would be far less painful options than picking a fight with me."

"Ha! That's good," the leader of the goons grinned, "_Real _good. But you're right—we know who you are. Everyone does. More importantly, do you know who I am?"

"Can't say I do," Naruto deadpanned, fixing the delinquent a blank stare, "Can't say I care, either."

"Exactly," the young man replied, spreading his arms out to gesture to his associates, "Us? We're nobodies. No one knows about us, no one cares about us. But you? You're different. People know you—hell, you're famous…"

'_Infamous, actually,'_ Naruto corrected mentally, rolling his eyes, "So, you kick my ass and suddenly everyone knows your name, is that it?"

"You catch on pretty quick," the young punk pushed his sunglasses up his nose, nonchalantly flipping the blonde the bird as he did so, "Something like that, yeah."

"I've just been around this block before with other dumbasses like you," explained Naruto calmly, eying the group before him in much the same way a predator eyes its prey. If his opponents noticed this look, however, they either didn't understand its significance or had excellent poker faces, "But beating me? That's a tall order you have there. A lot of people have tried. None of them won."

"We realize that and we appreciate the opportunity all the same," the punk grinned, "Okuyasu, _now_!"

A chuckle rang out behind Naruto, whose visage remained unimpressed even as a chain descended down and wrapped tightly around his neck. While the faces of the goons and their leader lit with sudden joy and excitement over the prospect of their "trap" succeeding, the blonde bit back a sigh. Without wasting another second, the delinquents charged in, swarming Naruto while giving their most intimidating battle cries.

'_Brilliant. Did they honestly think no one has ever tried this before?_' Naruto wondered as he reached up and snuck the fingers of his right hand between the chain and his windpipe. Gripping the chain, he effortlessly pulled the metal back from his neck. With his free hand, he reached behind him and grasped his unseen assailant—Okuyasu, apparently—by the collar. With a simple tug, Naruto had pulled Okuyasu over the bench he sat on and flung him into the nearest member of the approaching gang.

Reaching down and picking up the chain that Okuyasu had dropped in the process of this, Naruto quickly flicked his wrist and whipped the end of the iron links into the face of the next punk that drew too close, knocking the bruiser to the ground. It was only after seeing three of their allies downed so quickly that the initial eagerness the gang had showed died off, their forward charge turning into a statue-like standstill as they eyed the blonde with newfound fear.

Finally standing up, Naruto cracked his knuckles and offered a toothy grin, "A bunch of bastards trash my locker, leave me some stupid note telling me to meet them at the park at midnight, and this is what I get? I'm tired. I had a bad day. I'm _pissed off_. Now, what do you think that means for you clowns?"

He received no immediate response.

It had begun to sink into their dense little minds, the blonde noted with a smirk. The realization that they had just picked a fight with the notorious gang slayer, Namikaze Naruto, had just set in. He was the person who had been smacking around entire droves of delinquents since he was just ten-years-old. He was the guy whose mere presence caused the citywide juvenile delinquency rate to drop by half.

They had walked into this situation as a newly minted gang, disbelieving of the rumors surrounding the blonde and looking for a quick way to establish themselves. Now they were quickly realizing their mistake. Some of them grew pale, while others started to shake.

'_They're panicking…'_ Naruto resisted shaking his head at the pathetic sight before him. Instead, raising his arms towards them, he called out tauntingly, "Well? You're the bastards who called me out here. You wanted your chance? You have it, so come on. Try me."

If any of them had it in them to make a move, no one did. They simply stood there, staring at Naruto as if he had come straight from Hell itself. Silence reigned over the makeshift battlefield as Naruto leveled an expectant and impatient look at each of them.

Finally, either because his nerves were steeled or snapped under pressure, one of the thugs charged forward, metal bat raised over his head and screaming like a lunatic. Naruto held back a chuckle at the ridiculous sight, opting instead to stand absolutely still as his opponent drew closer and closer. The moment the delinquent had the blonde in striking distance, he swung away, holding nothing back as he slammed the blunt instrument down onto Naruto's forehead.

The force of the bat's impact ran up its wielder's arms and he shut his eyes tight when he heard the hollow hum of the metal colliding with its mark.

His screaming had come to an end, halted by the building lump within his throat that refused to leave him no matter how much he swallowed. Everything was quiet—even the slight breeze that had been the only relief to his heated skin had died down. Cracking his eyes opened, he at last relented to peek out from behind his shades and see the fruits of his work.

Namikaze Naruto was absolutely fine.

No bleeding. No bruising. No staggering.

The metal bat, still pressed against the blonde's forehead where the thug's swing had landed, was proof enough that the blow had been a clean hit. The fact that the hollow metal was dented and bent at an angle where it met Naruto's flesh only affirmed the fact that a mistake had been made that night by the members of the _'Crazy Diamonds.'_ A very large, very painful mistake.

The haunting stare of two blue eyes pierced through the bat-wielding delinquent's sunglasses, drawing a weak whimper from him as Naruto's iron-like grip encircled the makeshift club, a soft, nigh unnoticeable glow washing over the blonde's hand.

"Sorry, I'm not ticklish," Naruto muttered, his empty hand forming into a fist. Before another word could be uttered, that fist was dug into the chin of the blonde's attacker, who was launched back into the air from the force of the blow. He landed in the center of his allies; his prone form sprawled out on the grass for the frozen delinquents to stare at in abject horror.

"So…" Naruto drawled lazily, reaching into his pocket for another cigarette and his lighter, "You guys wanted people to know who you are, right?"

Naruto's voice drew their attention from their fallen comrade back to their prey-turned-predator.

"Well, don't you worry your pretty little heads about that one, guys. I have a good feeling that we're gonna become real close in these next few minutes," Naruto continued, lighting his cigarette. Pocketing the lighter, the blonde rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before fixing his foes an even stare, "Alright, gentlemen…let's get to know each other."

~.~.~

Firmly locking the latch on his front gate, Naruto glanced down at his hand and grimaced—his knuckles, worn raw and thinly cut from the many jabs and hooks he had thrown that night, were a very clear and very noticeable sign that he had gotten himself into another scuffle that night. As if his ruined clothes, now sliced and torn where a few of his opponents had managed to surprise him with knives, weren't enough of a dead giveaway…

'_Shoulda spent another hour kicking their asses around the park,' _Naruto scowled. His head was swimming in a sea of frustration as he gripped the knob to the front door, his mood only darkened by the dull throb that plagued his noggin.

Yes, despite his earlier bravado and flair, despite his prior utter aloofness to the action, getting hit in the head with a metal bat at full force still _hurt like a bitch. _While he was well aware that such a blow would typically down any common man, Naruto would have been far more thankful for his miraculous resilience if it would also have stopped the massive headache that followed afterwards. With a groan, the blonde pushed the door open and slipped inside the shadows of his home.

Shutting it gingerly behind him and quickly locking it, Naruto paused and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, _'C'mon, c'mon…'_

Soon enough, where he was once practically floating in a veil of murkiness and silhouettes, he could now vaguely recognize every familiar edge and corner of the entrance of his family's home. Most importantly, however, he saw no one. He was alone and, hopefully, the only person awake in the house.

Untying and leaving his sneakers at the door, Naruto slowly lowered his foot onto the wooden floor as he stealthily began to make his way down the hallway. Passing by the entrance to the kitchen, his goal quickly reached his eyes—the stairs and, at the top of those stairs, his bedroom.

Grinning to himself and stifling a triumphant snicker, the blonde gave himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done as he neared the first step and…a pair of eyes fell upon his form.

He wasn't sure how long they had been stalking him in that dark hallway or how close their owner stood, but he was suddenly very much aware that he was not as alone as he had first hoped. His body, which had only just begun to relax and slacken a short while ago, quickly tensed up as primal instinct began to take rein over his movements and self-preservation flooded his mind. Before he could even fully comprehend what was happening, he ducked down low.

A fist sailed through the air, directly where Naruto's head had been only moments before, and crashed against the wall. Upon making contact, the wall caved under the power of the blow, the masterfully executed attacked piercing straight through the drywall to leave a fist-sized hole in its wake.

"Good morning, Naruto…"

A chill ran its way down Naruto's spine, mirroring the way that the blonde's heart sank down into the pits of his stomach.

If one believed the many, many rumors that were in circulation about Namikaze Naruto, one would assume him to be absolutely fearless. This was, however, untrue. The blonde had plowed through army after army of amateurish adversaries, made dangerous only by the pointed and hefty weapons they wielded, but he never faltered in doing so. In his frequent confrontations with the local cops, he spoke his mind calmly, never stuttering. He didn't fear the punks who came after him; he didn't fear the officers who held authority over him.

His true and only fear lied with a person far stronger, with skills exceedingly more polished than his own, someone who could judge him and back up that assessment with both their mouth and their muscles.

Above all else, Naruto feared the wrath of his mother, Namikaze Kushina, who now stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking down at him.

"G-G-Good morning, M-Mom…" Naruto stumbled over his words as he replied, face growing pale as he stared up at her fist.

She stared down at him, violet eyes eerily void of emotion and an all-too-happy smile dangerously carved onto her face. Slowly, Kushina pulled her fist back from the wall, using it to flip a lock of her long crimson tresses back over her shoulder. Coolly, she glanced over to the clock that hung on the kitchen wall.

"You know, this is an awful late hour to be out, Naruto," Kushina's even tone belied a brewing storm that Naruto knew was approaching, "Mind telling your dear old mom where you had to be at one o'clock in the morning?"

"I-I…uh, I had to go…meet a friend…" Naruto mumbled out, wincing at how lame his excuse sounded, _'Nice to see I'm on top of my game today…'_

"Is that right?" Kushina's smile twitched slightly as she pointed a delicate finger down at Naruto's hands and clothes, "And, somewhere along the way, your hands got torn up and the _new _clothes _I just bought you_ got ruined how exactly?"

Naruto could've slapped himself—he had forgotten what he was wearing by the time he had snuck out of the house, his mind far more focused on introducing some idiots' faces to the ground. Blanching, Naruto decided that now was a good time to come clean before he somehow managed to dig his own grave any deeper, "I, uh…may have gotten into a little—a-and I mean really, _really _little—brawl on my way..."

The moment of silence that followed directly after his confession was almost unbearable.

Naruto broke out into a cold sweat as he heard Kushina inhale sharply.

"I see," Kushina muttered, "And what do you have to say for yourself, Naruto?"

"I…won?" Naruto tried doubtfully, quickly offering a disarming smile to his mother. Daring to glance up at Kushina, Naruto found, to his great surprise, that she actually seemed to be considering his answer, weighing it over carefully in her mind as she hummed in thought. After a few moments of deliberation, Kushina nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, in that case, I guess it's okay!" Kushina grinned.

"R-Really?" Naruto blinked, disbelief overtaking his features.

"Of course! It can't be helped, right?" giving a light shrug, Kushina gestured upstairs, "Now, why don't you head upstairs and get some rest, sweetie? You must be tired."

Staring at his mother as if she had grown a second head, Naruto nodded slowly and cautiously. Pushing himself to a standing position, the blonde turned and gave his mother one last nervous smile starting up the stairs, "W-Well then, good ni—"

A pair of arms encircled his chest in a crushing hold.

"**As if I would say that, 'ttebane!"**

Before Naruto could grasp what had happened, the world had already turned upside-down and his head and upper back were slammed into the tiled floor of the kitchen. Kushina released her hold on her son, who crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain as he did so. With a huff, she stepped around her fallen son and made her way into the kitchen, grumbling under her breath, "Now let's get those hands fixed up…"

As his mother looked for iodine and bandages for his torn knuckles, Naruto grimaced from his position on the floor, _'It's one o'clock in the morning and I was just on the receiving end of a German suplex, courtesy of my mom. This day can only get better…'_

A few minutes later, Naruto sat at the kitchen table after having taken more than a few aspirin, wincing as Kushina dabbed at his knuckles with a cotton ball she had doused in antiseptic. Every now and then, her violet eyes would shoot up to his own cerulean pair with a look of disappointment. Naruto, despite the stinging pain in his digits, would always sheepishly glance away, unable to meet her gaze. With a heavy sigh, Kushina set aside the iodine and reached for the bandages.

"How many times have I told you to stop doing this?" she questioned as she began wrapping Naruto's hands in the gauze.

"I lost count."

"Yet you keep doing it," Kushina chided.

Naruto shut his mouth.

He didn't have an answer to that. What could he argue? That he wasn't fighting droves of delinquents practically by the day? That his reputation wasn't that of an infamous, ruthless thug? That this would be the last time it would happen? He couldn't say any of that, because he did, it was, and it certainly wouldn't end anytime soon.

"I don't go looking for trouble, alright? It finds me and I take care of it the best way I know how," Naruto frowned, glancing down to his hands as his mother tied the bandages in place. Kushina stood and moved over to the cupboard to store away the medical supplies, sighing as she did so.

"Except you _do _go looking for trouble," Kushina accused, "Or did you forget all about the precocious little ten-year-old brat who took down the _'Silver Chariots'_?"

Of course he remembered his first real fight.

The _'Silver Chariots' _had been a particularly noisy and active biker gang that drove up and down the streets in the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning. They knocked over trashcans, broke windows, sprayed graffiti over walls and buildings, and weaved dangerously in and out of traffic at insane speeds. As a child, Naruto could ignore all that, however. It wasn't until his mother began to complain that the obnoxious noise they caused interfered with her sleep did the young blonde raise issue with the gang.

"I didn't forget," Naruto conceded, grimacing at the memory, "They were being assholes and I dealt with them."

"You chased them down, beat them within an inch of their lives, and trashed their bikes beyond all recognition."

"They were being assholes and I dealt with them," the blonde repeated, nodding his head, "Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same when you were my age."

The redhead, who was busy placing the bandages back where she had gotten them from, froze. Naruto watched as his mother began to tremble, shaking his head as he held back a groan. Suddenly, Kushina whipped around, revealing horror and embarrassment in her violet eyes and the fact that her face now matched her hair quite nicely. A blush that red couldn't have been healthy…

"T-That…Th-That h-ha-has no-nothing to do w-with this!" Kushina cried out, flailing her fists around in the air.

It was the same reaction every time her past was brought into question. Let it be known that Namikaze Kushina was certainly not proud of the fact that she was once the infamous and feared _'Bloody Habanero.' _Why? Naruto wasn't sure—the fact that his mom used to kick serious ass and take names was pretty damn awesome in his expert opinion. Nevertheless, if one happened to mention the _'Bloody Habanero' _or the all-female gang she used to lead, the _'Killer Queens,'_ Kushina would turn as red as her old namesake and fervently attempt to change the subject.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Why not? You were doing the same stuff I'm doing. Hell, you were even better at it than I am."

"_I was not_!" Kushina exclaimed, distress clearly showing in her tone, "I…I-I was a different person back then! A completely different person! B-Besides, I stopped doing all that stuff! If I hadn't, I wouldn't have settled down with your father, had you, and…and…"

"Mom…"

"Plus, what would the neighbors have thought if I was still such a little hellion? I'd never be able to show my face in public!"

"Mom."

"And can you imagine what everyone at the office would say? They'd never let me live it down! I don't even want to thi—"

"Mom!"

Naruto's calls finally managed to reach the ears of his panicking mother and Kushina stopped her tirade. Naruto offered the redhead a reassuring smile as she turned to look at him with a questioning gaze, "Relax, okay? I get it—you want me to stop getting into fights and I will…eventually. For now, though, what's the problem with me cleanin' up some trash around the city every once in a while? The bastards are practically lining up and askin' for a beating, so why not indulge them?"

Kushina groaned, slapping her forehead in exasperation, "No, you don't get it. I'm telling you to stop fighting, Naruto, before you get in serious trouble. If you keep getting into these fights of yours, one of these days, you're going to end up hurt."

Naruto snorted, smirking, "There's not a punk alive that could get the best of me."

"Naruto, I'm serious," Kushina frowned, walking over to her son and laying her hands on his shoulders, making sure he looked her in the eyes, "If you keep doing this, it's all going to catch up with you one day. You can't fight the world, Naruto, and you certainly can't punch away all of its problems without those problems punching back. I want you to stop before it's too late and you wind up in the hospital or even worse. Please."

Seeing the steadfast stare his mother fixed him and knowing it stemmed from concern for him, Naruto found himself unable to fully deny his mother's request, "I'll…try not to start trouble with delinquents, okay? But if they come after me, I'm going to have to fight."

Kushina levelled Naruto with an expectant gaze, "And…?"

Naruto sighed, head slumping forward, "And I won't break curfew anymore."

Almost instantaneously, Kushina grew a triumphant smile on her face. Patting her son's head with one hand, Kushina jerked the thumb of her free hand over her shoulder and towards the stairs, "That's my boy! Now, how about you head upstairs and get some rest? You've got school in the morning."

Naruto looked at his mother and then at the stairs before returning his gaze to the redhead, "…Promise you won't suplex me this time?"

Kushina's smile remained a bit too cheerful at the mention of that prospect, "Only if you break curfew again!"

Standing from the table warily, Naruto slowly inched away from Kushina, making sure to keep his eyes glued to her form the entire time. It was only when he felt that he was a safe enough distance away from his mother, who was giggling at his reaction, that he turned and ran out of the kitchen, bounding up the stairs while throwing back a quick, "Good night."

Once he had made it to his room, Naruto quickly slammed the door shut and locked it. Slumping back against the door, he released a tired sigh as the blonde ran his hands through his hair. Slugging off his jacket, Naruto tossed the orange clothing onto the chair that sat at his desk. Shortly afterward, his shirt joined it there while his belt and jeans were left resting on the floor. Stifling a yawn and now clad in only his boxers, Naruto made his way over to his bed, where he collapsed into a comforting softness.

As his eyes grew heavy, Naruto craned his neck and looked to his desk or more specifically, the picture perched upon it.

It was a photograph of four people standing in the park the blonde had stood in just an hour ago, all of whom were flashing grins that seemed to exude contentedness. Standing to the left was his mother, Kushina, her crimson tresses unmistakable, and off to the right was an extraordinarily tall man, hair aged white and pulled back into a long ponytail. The white-haired man was slightly blurry in the photograph, having just run back into frame after having set the timer on the camera.

It was the man in the center of the picture that Naruto focused on, however. He was tall, standing an entire head above Kushina yet also coming up a head short when compared to the man on the right, and the blonde hair and blue eyes that he shared with Naruto easily marked him as being decidedly foreign. His leanly built figure was clad in the uniform of a police officer, the insignia on his hat gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun.

Upon his shoulders sat the last person in the photo, a five-year-old Naruto, who was grinning like he owned the world.

Naruto smiled at the picture and the man that stood in it, _'Good night, Dad…'_

Shutting his eyes, Naruto let sleep overtake him.

~.~.~

Bags under his eyes, Naruto was in no good mood when he slammed the door of his shoe locker shut. Having gotten all of five hours of sleep last night before having to wake up and head to perhaps his least favorite place on earth had effectively birthed the death-glare he currently wore upon his face. It was that same glare that had scared off every single person who saw him walking to school that morning, so that by the time he had made it to school and walked through the door, his locker-neighbor got to be the first person to greet him that morning.

"Good morning, Naruto-san. I…are you alright?" Yuuto Kiba blinked as he noticed the disheveled state his fellow blonde was in.

'_I started my morning by wasting my time in a park with a bunch of dumbasses and returning home to get suplexed by my Mom. Do you think I'm alright?_' is what Naruto wanted to say, but he instead opted to shoot a deadpanned look to Kiba and mutter, "Don't ask."

"I…see," Kiba wavered slightly, bemusement showing in his eyes.

"It's nothing," Naruto emphasized his words with a wave of his hand, "Quicker I get this day over with, the better."

"Ah," Kiba's smile turned into a good-natured, teasing smirk, "So I take it you'll be cutting class again?"

"I'll sure as hell try to. Souna's been getting on my ass about missing class. She's been chasing me down every time I pull a disappearing act," grumbled Naruto, before his scowl shifted to a grin, "But I think I finally got the perfect place to hide where she won't look."

"Is that so? Well, I wish you the best of luck in slacking off, Naruto-san," Kiba chuckled.

"I don't need luck, Kiba. I am a trained professional," Naruto shot back.

As they walked up the stairs to the second floor of Kuoh Academy, where the second-years' homerooms were located, the duo ignored the strange looks and odd whispers their conversation attracted. After all, who would have expected a lady slayer like Yuuto Kiba, the '_Prince of Kuoh,'_ to befriend the chain-smoking, brawling delinquent that was Namikaze Naruto? Hell, Naruto himself was still a bit iffy on how the unlikely blondes had befriended one another.

It was only five months ago when a gang calling themselves the _'Moody Blues' _had decided to jump him during class at his old school. After turning each member of the _'Moody Blues' _black and blue and throwing themout of his classroom's second-story windows, Naruto found himself being expelled from his old school. After dealing with the heat from the school's principal and guidance counselor, questions from the police, and the terrifying, bottomless anger of his mother, the blonde smoker was transferred into the only school in the area that would take him—the recently turned coeducational Kuoh Academy.

As expected, Naruto had quite the cold reception upon entering into his new school—no one looked at him, no one approached him, and no one talked to him. They were all afraid, horrified by the thought that they might incur his wrath. The safest way for the students of Kuoh to hold onto their normal school lives while trapped in the proverbial lion's den with Namikaze Naruto was to act as though he didn't exist.

Naruto, of course, was just fine with this. He had been through this song and dance before at his old school. Such isolation was a lifestyle he had adjusted to, one that he thrived in. And so, for the first week of his life at Kuoh, the blonde got away with saying absolutely nothing to anybody.

That all changed one morning, when Naruto was greeted at his locker by the school's resident ikemen, and the blonde suddenly found himself at the center of attention. Any and all females at the scene were tearing up, scared at what unspeakable horror might befall their precious Kiba-kun, while the males suddenly began to cheer Naruto on, urging him to mess up Kiba's handsome face. Naruto, however, wasn't angered by Kiba's greeting like the spectators thought he was—no, Naruto was suspicious.

Naruto was absolutely certain that Yuuto Kiba did not have a locker next to him. Even during his short time here, Naruto was able to pick up on the fact that Kiba was always being swarmed by his fangirls. There was simply no way Naruto would've missed a crowd that size huddled next to his locker as they ogled the guy.

Still with no way to confirm his suspicions that something was going on, Naruto merely broke the tension by returning the greeting with a grunt and heading off to homeroom to sleep through his classes. After that day, Kiba took to regularly greeting the chain-smoker and, eventually, began to actually hold conversations with him. Over months of simple greetings and short conversations, Kiba had become the closest thing Naruto had to a friend in the school.

The fact that several groups of girls had taken to calling Kiba the "Beast Tamer" only irked Naruto somewhat (i.e. a lot).

"Try not to make Souna-san too angry, alright, Naruto-san?" Kiba gave a short wave of his hand as the pair reached their respective homerooms. Naruto smirked.

"I make no promises," Naruto returned the wave with a nod as he walked into his own class. As expected, upon his entering, most of the conversations his classmates were having died in silence. The sole exception to this was the trio of giggling young men, blatantly waving around their pornography and attracting several disgusted and hate-filled stares. He ignored both them and his silent classmates, walking over to his desk in the far right corner and planting himself in the seat.

Naruto sat there quietly and waited for the homeroom teacher to show up and take attendance so that he could cut class without being marked absent. Shutting his eyes and leaning back into his seat, the blonde decided on taking a short nap to catch up on his sleep while he waited. Sighing peacefully, the blonde felt his lack of sleep slowly wash away as he drifted off…

"Oi, Naruto-san, Naruto-san!"

Naruto groaned and cracked open his eyes, "I swear to god, Hyoudou, if this is about—"

The brunet grinned at Naruto, practically bouncing on his feet, "Is it out yet? Has he released it? Has he? Has your godfather graced us all with his next glorious work of art?"

Naruto decided now would be a good time to tune the perverted and cultish ramblings of Hyoudou Issei out. Honestly, the kid's obsession with his godfather's work was just plain creepy sometimes, doubly so given the subject matter of the works. Hell, Naruto _still _wasn't sure how exactly Issei even found out he was related to the author of the famous (or infamous, depending on who you asked) _Icha Icha _series.

Issei had used to be just like all the rest—terrified in Naruto's presence, unable to utter a word or even glance in his direction—and, to be quite honest, Naruto had no idea who Issei even was for the longest time, despite being classmates. Sure, he had overheard rumors of the _'Perverted Trio,'_ but seeing how everyone seemed to freeze up like a deer caught in the headlights when he was in the room, he had never actually _seen_ anything too bad.

That was until somehow, someway, Issei found out that Naruto was related to the legendary smut writer known only as Jiraiya.

The look on Naruto's face when he walked into class one morning only to be bombarded with questions revolving around pornography by some weirdo was nothing short of hilarious. Issei had been adamant in asking Naruto to get his limited addition _Icha Icha_ set autographed for him, requesting the scheduled release dates for the next issues well in advance, and even wondering if Naruto had any idea what kind of "erotic escapades" (yes, Issei had actually said that) the next book would feature.

Naruto had been both bemused and horrified that he would have to deal with a second Jiraiya at school.

It was as if all fear of the blonde had evaporated in Issei, leaving behind only hormonal instinct and a passion for porn, causing Naruto to severely question the brunet's priorities. Naruto had been too shocked to answer at the time, but sure enough, Issei was back the next day and day after and the next to inquire about Jiraiya's books. It seemed that witnessing their ally speak with Naruto had a similar sobering effect on the other members of the _'Perverted Trio,' _Motohama and Matsuda, neither of whom really feared Naruto anymore. They didn't speak with him as Issei did, but they also no longer froze or clammed up at the mere sight of the blonde.

Having listened to Issei for roughly five minutes, Naruto caved and dignified the boy with a response, "Hyoudou, I haven't seen my godfather in months—he's in Italy. If I hear anything about your damn smut, I'll tell you, okay?"

"_Smut_!? It's not just smut, Naruto-san! _Icha Icha Paradise _is a beautiful and tragic romance betwe—"

"Hyoudou-san, get in your seat. It's time for homeroom to begin."

Luckily for Naruto, who realized that Issei had been missing the exasperated look that he had been shooting the pervert, the homeroom teacher had chosen that moment to walk into the classroom.

"Y-Yessir!" Issei nodded, returning to his seat so that the teacher could begin marking down absent students. Soon enough, the teacher had finished and left the room as the bell for first period chimed. Issei turned to Naruto's seat, determined to continue the conversation he thought he had been having with the blonde, only to find that the delinquent was gone, leaving no trace that he had ever even been at his desk that morning.

'_Huh…' _Issei blinked, _'I wonder where Naruto-san got to.'_

~.~.~

Staring up at the clouds and sun, Naruto smiled contentedly.

No one ever came up to the roof of Kuoh Academy, not even during lunchtime. For what reason, Naruto wasn't sure, but in the end it worked to his advantage and so he didn't question it too hard. He had ducked out of class the second the teacher had left the room and, making sure to avoid being sighted, snuck up to the rooftop. He found it deserted, as he expected it to be—the perfect place to ditch class where the student council president, Shitori Souna, would not look.

The blonde fell back against the tiled surface of the roof and stretched out, releasing a satisfied hum as he heard several bones crack. A relaxing, cool breeze drifted across the rooftop as Naruto shut his eyes, turning off his mind and letting himself fall back into dreamland.

It was the sound of the school bell chiming to signal the arrival of lunchtime that woke him hours later.

With an unsatisfied grunt, Naruto reached up and rubbed his eyes, "Damn…that was a pretty good nap, too…"

Sitting up, the blonde yawned and smacked his lips. After rolling his shoulder, Naruto reached into his pocket and grabbed his lighter and a cigarette. Placing the cigarette between his lips, Naruto flicked on the lighter and...

"Unhealthy."

…Realized that he was not alone anymore.

Glancing over to the corner of the roof, Naruto found a pair of amber eyes staring at him or, more specifically, the cigarette and lighter he held. The owner of those eyes was a petite young girl, cute as a button while also displaying just as much emotion as one as well. Garbed in the standard female Kuoh Academy uniform, her shoulder-length, snow-white hair danced as another breeze ran over the roof as she pulled a cookie from the package in her hands and bit down on it.

Naruto blinked, eying the girl with a bemused expression, "…Cookies for lunch ain't exactly nutritious, girlie."

"Cookies don't smell like smoke. You do," the girl hummed in reply, fishing out another cookie.

Naruto looked at the girl as if she was insane. To say he was stunned was a vast understatement—he was absolutely floored.

Namikaze Naruto, the most feared person in the entire school, the one guy who everyone was too afraid to even talk to, let alone look at, was being told off by some girl who barely measured up to his chest. Entire gangs trembled in place when he walked down the street. Mothers told their kids to stay as far away from him and the trouble he attracted as humanly possible.

Sure, Kiba and Issei may have approached him, but no one had ever had the guts to actually tell him off if they didn't hold some position of power that protected them. Yet this girl, this pint-sized little thing, was blatantly calling him out, with no protection and no witnesses around. Naruto couldn't _help _but stare at her.

The girl must have noticed his staring too, as her stoic face suddenly sprouted the slightest of frowns.

"Staring is rude."

The blonde could take it no more—he fell back, clutching his sides and shaking with laughter. If the girl was offended by Naruto's hysterics, she certainly didn't show it. She merely waited patiently for her fellow student to stop, quietly munching away on her cookies. When the smoking youth finally did cease his laughter, he sat back up, wiping a tear from his eyes and ending his tirade with a few dying chuckles, and met the girl's expectant stare.

"Something funny?" she asked with a tilt of her head, seeming to be genuinely curious as to what the blonde found so humorous.

"Nothing, nothing," Naruto waved off the question, pocketing his lighter and cigarette, "Man, I needed that. So, what're you doing up here, kid? I didn't think anyone came up to the roof."

"I'm not a kid," the girl's expression morphed into a pout, "I come up here for lunch."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "All alone?"

She shrugged, "Aren't you alone too?"

"Yeah," Naruto returned her shrug with one of his own, "But I'm a bit of a special case in that regard. You though? You don't exactly seem like someone people are gonna try to avoid."

"I like the quiet," she responded.

"Fair enough," Naruto accepted the answer the girl gave him with a nod. With the conversation apparently at its end, he laid back down, idly watching the clouds pass by as the roof-going pair fell into a comfortable, if not unfamiliar, silence. The girl, for her part, made no further attempts at starting up on a new topic, but every now and then Naruto would feel her amber stare fall upon his lazy form. That was how the two passed the rest of their lunch—just sitting there in silence, enjoying the pleasant breeze and the warm sun.

When the school bell sounded once again to order the students back to their classrooms, Naruto was the first to move from his position by standing up. Throwing his arms above his head and stretching them to the skies, the blonde released a final yawn before turning to the door and sluggishly heading for it.

"It was nice meeting ya, kid," Naruto tossed a wave over his shoulder as his goodbye, "But I'm getting out of here."

"I'm not a kid," the girl repeated, eying him as he moved, "Out of here? You aren't going back to class?"

"Who, me?" Naruto snorted, "Nah—I don't wanna be there and they don't really want me there. Besides, with everyone crowding the halls right now to get back to class, now's the best time to slip outta here without Souna noticing me."

"It's bad to cut class."

Naruto chuckled, opening the door, "So I've heard. But it's natural to be a little bad sometimes, ya know? We're only human."

"…I guess," the girl relented.

"Well, see ya around," Naruto tossed a wave lazily over his shoulder as he walked back into the building, leaving the snow-haired girl behind him. She stared at the space that the blonde had been occupying only a few short moments ago, her aloof expression unreadable. Standing, the girl hummed in thought as she too made her way over to the doorway.

"Namikaze Naruto, huh?" she murmured, "Yuuto-senpai was right—he is an odd one…"

~.~.~

"Order up! One large special with extra pork!"

Bliss was all Naruto knew as a large porcelain bowl was set before him, his eyes shutting in reverence as the mouthwatering aroma of the soup filled his senses. Opening his eyes, he gazed into the glossy broth and silky noodles, steam wafting up from the liquid to meet the hearty grin the blonde wore. This was not just a simple bowl, its contents no mere ordinary soup—this was his escape; this was his oasis in the desert that was day-to-day life.

This was ramen.

"Heaven in a bowl," Naruto exuberantly declared, his hands nimbly snatching a pair of chopsticks from a nearby container, "Thanks, Teuchi-jiji. It looks amazing as usual."

"Anytime, Naruto," from behind the counter, Teuchi chuckled, "Heaven in a bowl, huh? That has a nice ring to it. Might have to use that sometime."

Whereas the park by Naruto's home was his most frequented childhood haunt, Ichiraku Ramen was most certainly the blonde's favorite hangout since reaching young adulthood. So, when Naruto's stomach began to roar shortly after escaping the clutches of the educational system, the young brawler had made a beeline towards the ramen stand.

"I wouldn't—it doesn't do your cooking justice," Naruto stated appreciatively as he began to dig in. Teuchi let out another chuckle as he began to wipe down a few empty bowls.

"Well, it's nice to see my favorite customer hasn't gotten tired of my food's taste yet," the chef smiled, idly checking the clock that hung nearby before glancing back to his sole customer, "Not that I don't appreciate the business, but shouldn't you be in school right now, Naruto?"

"It's all about perspective, Teuchi-jiji," the blonde explained between slurping his noodles, "You see, from _someone else's_ perspective, I'm cutting class to relax and eat ramen when I could be getting an education. From _my_ perspective, however, I'm sitting here in good company and enjoying a fantastic meal when I could be sitting in a room with a bunch of people I don't know, listening to a bunch of crap I don't care about. Overall, I'd say I'm doing pretty well for myself."

Teuchi whistled, "You're lucky Ayame stepped out. She'd drag you back to school herself if she heard you say that."

"Then in the interest of my personal safety, I'd better leave a good tip today, huh?" Naruto smirked.

Teuchi laughed, pinching his fingers together like he was grabbing a zipper and dragging them across his mouth, "It might help keep this old goat quiet."

Soon enough, Naruto had flown through his first bowl and by the time his second was placed on the counter, his order for a third was already in the works. All the while, idle chitchat flew back and forth between the smoker and the chef, only breaking the flow of their conversation momentarily when a new customer arrived. He was a young man who couldn't have been older than twenty-five, handsome beyond compare, with striking red hair the likes of which Naruto had only seen on his own mother.

Without a word, the redhead pulled up a stool and took a seat at the counter, grabbing a menu from nearby and thumbing through it.

"Welcome!" Teuchi grinned at the newcomer, "What can I get for you?"

"I'll tell you once I figure that out myself," the man spoke in a polite, melodious tone, chuckling slightly as he did, "You have quite the selection and it all looks good."

Teuchi grinned, "Thank you very much. Take your time ordering. I'm in no rush."

"I will," the redhead smiled, "Thank you."

With the new customer attended to, Teuchi turned back to Naruto, who was just finishing his third bowl, "So, how're the plants doing? You ever get those lilies to grow?"

Naruto laughed, "You need to ask? There's not a plant my green thumb can't handle! My lilies and my aralia are growing like champions!"

"Good to hear. Ya know, you're still the only kid I've ever seen with that gardening hobby of yours," Teuchi noted, "How you of all people have the patience for that, I will never know."

Naruto chuckled and pulled his wallet from his pocket, laying a few bills on the countertop, "What can I say? I have a gift. Take care, Teuchi-jiji."

"Yeah, you take care too, Naruto," Teuchi waved the young blonde off, "Don't go getting into too much trouble, you hear?"

"Trouble? Me? It's like you don't even know me," Naruto snickered. As he turned to leave, however, the blonde caught sight of the redheaded customer, who was still sitting silently at the counter mulling over his options as he stared into a menu. Garbed in a sleek double-breasted suit that looked like it cost more than the ramen stand its wearer sat in, the redhead stuck out like a sore thumb. His clothes and the long time he was taking just to place an order almost made the blonde wonder if the redhead had ever been in a restaurant that boasted less than five stars.

Taking pity on the seemingly clueless man, Naruto stepped over and tapped him on the shoulder, "The special is amazing. I'd ask for extra pork, too."

The redhead blinked, glancing from Naruto to the menu, "The special? I see. Thank you very much, young man."

"No problem," Naruto brushed off the man's thanks and walked outside of the ramen stand. As he did so, the well-dressed man finally placed his order—one special with extra pork.

~.~.~

Cigarette hanging loosely between his lips and hands shoved deeply into his pockets, Naruto stalked aimlessly down the sidewalk of the city's electronics district. After departing from Ichiraku Ramen, he had allowed himself to get lost in the crowded streets of shoppers and pedestrians, passing by various stores and vendors welcoming their customers with open arms. His freedom secured and his hunger sated, the blonde now only had one question on his mind.

'_What now?' _Naruto frowned, checking his watch.

One o'clock.

He still had another six hours to kill before he actually wanted to head home and another eight before curfew, lest he risk another confrontation with his ferocious mother. That left him with a more than ample amount of free time that the blonde simply wasn't sure how to effectively kill. So, without any other truly appealing option coming to mind, Naruto found himself heading in the direction of a local arcade he'd been known to frequent.

'_Guess I might as well school some scrubs at 'Trial by Fighter'…' _Naruto shrugged. His destination now firmly set in his mind, Naruto turned and walked off of the sidewalk and into an alleyway. Cutting through the alleys was a simple shortcut, one that he had been using for years now. It wasn't exactly as if he had to fear getting mugged or anything anyway, so the blonde never thought too much about it.

"You got a permit?"

A familiar voice, distinct and slimy as ever, slithered into Naruto's ears, earning a grimace as the delinquent stepped deeper into the alley. Sure enough, only a few feet into the dark pathway, Naruto found himself bearing witness to a particularly unpleasant scene.

Naruto had many encounters with the police in his years—it came with the territory of being regularly ambushed by droves of thugs. He knew there were plenty of good cops on the city's police force. His father, Namikaze Minato, had been one such case. He had been good man, who both upheld the law to its highest standards and took the time to reach out to the citizens who lived under it. Umino Iruka, his dad's old partner and current detective, was another fine example. Iruka didn't jump to conclusions, didn't make split-second decisions with the authority he had—he made sure he had all the facts, heard all the viewpoints before he made a decision.

There were many good cops in the city.

Mizuki, however, was never one of them. He was the type of man who became an officer just to hold power over others, the type who signed onto the force just to be able to legally carry a gun. If rumors were to be believed, in fact, the man was as crooked as they came. Word had it that Mizuki had his hand in a number of shady dealings such as bribes, extortion, and blackmail. In summary, the silver-haired cop was an insult to the badge he carried.

And, seeing as Naruto had stumbled across him pinning a young lady to the wall in the back of an alley, the blonde was more inclined to belief the rumors than not. The officer had the lady pushed against the brick wall, arms on either side to keep her pinned down while he leaned towards her and spoke.

"Because you need a permit if you want to be handing out these," Mizuki smirked, waving a slip of paper with an odd design in front of the young woman's face. Judging from the panicked expression on her face, she didn't exactly appreciate being informed in such a manner.

The woman frowned, reaching out for the paper, "P-Please, I—"

"But I'm an agreeable man. I'm willing to do you a favor and just overlook this entire thing," Mizuki's smirk grew into a malicious, perverted grin, "Of course, that's only if you're willing to do a favor for me, in turn."

"I don't—"

"Don't be like that," Mizuki leaned closer, "It's nothing much, just a quick and easy favor. It'll be over before you even—grah!"

Mizuki recoiled, stumbling backwards as his hands reached up to clutch at his eye. With his arms no longer trapping her in place, the lady quickly backed away from Mizuki and put herself at a safe distance should she feel the need to turn and flee at a moment's notice. That done, she stood and watched silently as the scene before her played out. Mizuki glared down at asphalt, murderously staring at the offending projectile that had been flicked into his eye—the butt of a recently finished cigarette.

"So sorry, Officer. It just slipped right out of my hand," Naruto smirked as he stepped forward, "I hope I didn't interfere with any official police business."

Mizuki growled, "Namikaze…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just passing through," the blonde shrugged as he fished out another cigarette from his pocket, "Thought I'd hit up an arcade, but hey, saving a damsel in distress was next on my list of things to do anyway."

"Damsel? You mean criminal," Mizuki scowled, slowly lowering his hands and keeping his stinging eye shut tightly, "She was handing out flyers without a permit and we can't have that, now can we?"

"And the punishment for illegal advertising is dealing with you? Talk about cruel and unusual," Naruto shook his head in disgust.

Mizuki stepped forward and ran a hand through his silver locks, chuckling darkly, "I wouldn't be running that mouth of yours, Namikaze. You're hands aren't exactly clean either."

"They aren't?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, his tone mocking.

"School won't be out for another three hours. You think you can cut class in front of a cop?" Mizuki clicked his tongue in disapproval, "Stupid, very stupid. And underage smoking, too? No, no, this just won't do. I'm going to have to place you under arrest, Namikaze. Who knows? You may even get expelled from that damn academy of yours."

"I'd rather not. Mom wouldn't be too pleased if I manage to get expelled again," Naruto shrugged, eying Mizuki tauntingly, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll avoid jail today."

"Oh?" Mizuki's hand came to rest on his gun, "Am I to understand that you're resisting arrest, Namikaze?"

Naruto's taunting demeanor faded as he saw Mizuki reach for his pistol. His gaze sharpened, his hands clenched into fists, and his form crouched slightly, legs bent and ready to leap forward at the first sign of danger. The blonde frowned, "So you take me in and then what? You think I won't tell them about your charming way with the ladies and trigger-happy negotiation skills?"

"You really are a dumbass, aren't you?" Mizuki smirked, "You think anyone on the force will believe a burnout like you over me, an officer of the law? You think anyone in this entire goddamn _city _is going to believe you!?"

"Well, I never was much of a people person…" Naruto conceded with a light shrug.

"That's putting it mildly," Mizuki laughed, "They'll give me a fucking _medal _for putting a little piece of shit like you behind bars! Hell, I could plant a bullet right between those eyes of yours and no one would question that it was completely in self-defense! Well, no one except for your whore of a mother, anyway."

Naruto froze, "…Care to repeat that?"

"Ha! Did I hit a nerve?" Mizuki sneered, "She was such a bitch back in the day, running up and down the streets with her stupid gang, acting like she owned the entire town. And what does she end up doing? She drops her pants and settles for the first blonde bastard that comes along."

The blonde's face was on fire, his fists trembling.

"And then what does that dumbass go and do? He goes and gets his brains blown out!" Mizuki chuckled, "Good riddance. Bastard was always looking down on me, even back when he first joined up with the force."

"Draw your gun."

Mizuki frowned and narrowed his eyes in confusion, "What?"

"_Draw your fucking gun!_" Naruto snarled, "And you'd better pray you don't miss."

"Ha!" Mizuki laughed, pulling his firearm from its holster, "You're gonna regr—gah!?"

A crushing grip enclosed around the officer's wrist, so intense that Mizuki almost believed his hand would be snapped off at the joint, and his pistol slipped from his fingers. Mizuki hadn't even had the time to point his gun before he was disarmed—Naruto had cleared the ten foot gap between them before he had the chance. A stomp that felt like it held the force of an avalanche fell upon the policeman's foot, keeping him from dodging as a faintly glowing fist rocketed towards his face.

Mizuki's eyes widened, his mind racing in panic, _'H-How is that little shit this fast!? And why is his fist glo—'_

His nose shattered and caved in with all the ease of an empty aluminum can, blood squirting into the air and dribbling down his face. Mizuki opened his mouth to release a pained cry—a mistake. The next blow hit his mouth, knocking several teeth out and sending them down his throat, floating on a fresh cascade of irony crimson. As he coughed and sputtered, another devastating hit met its mark against the side of his head, knocking him off his feet.

Mizuki smacked roughly into the brick wall, which he weakly clutched in a poor attempt to gain his balance as he gasped for air. His vision was clouded with tears, his eyes burning and swelling as his senses were overwhelmed with pain. He dared glance up, just in time to catch the savage visage of a beast rearing back its fist like a hunter readying an arrow. With the same deadly accuracy, Naruto let his fist fly forward.

The hit shattered his jaw and slammed the back of his head into the wall. The next dug deeply into his gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. The next struck against the only eye that had thus far gone untouched in their encounter, sealing it shut with bruised swelling.

Blow after blow after blow after blow, Naruto rained his rage-filled fists down upon Mizuki's quivering form.

This wasn't a fight.

When Naruto took on punks with egos too large for their lacking skills to carry, he was fighting. During those times, he sought to defeat his opponents as quickly and efficiently as possible. He took no pleasure or joy from the pain he brought them, only from the satisfaction of utilizing the reflexes and skills he himself had honed over years of experience and practice. And when he was done, when he had won, he simply walked away, moved on, and left them to pick themselves up.

This however?

This was survival of the fittest. A lesser animal had stumbled upon a sleeping tiger and, in its ignorance, awoken the slumbering behemoth. The tiger had merely followed its instincts, leaping upon the prey that had so carelessly insulted the beast by treading in his domain. This was not a fight. This was not even a massacre. This was simply nature and, just like in nature, the predator did not walk away, did not move on, and did not allow the prey to pick themselves up.

A cathartic jolt ran along his arms as his knuckles collided with the fool who had dared to insult his family, both sickening the blonde and urging him to carry on.

So he did.

For a solid five minutes, Naruto laid into Mizuki. For every word the crooked officer had slung and for every insult, Naruto made absolutely sure that the silver-haired man felt nothing but pure, concentrated pain. Because the tiger didn't allow the prey to insult him, because all Naruto wanted in that moment was for Mizuki to _hurt._

Finally, Naruto ceased and the faint glow that had enveloped his hands abandoned them.

Panting and gasping from the sheer anger alone, Naruto stepped backwards and simply stared at the fallen man before him. He looked down upon Mizuki, not speaking, not thinking, until he finally glanced away. Turning, Naruto left him lying there without another word and continued down the alleyway. The woman, who had surprisingly stayed to view the entire encounter, was still there, kneeling on the ground and trembling as her gaze ran between Naruto and Mizuki. She flinched when Naruto came to a stop next to her, when his stony blue eyes stared down at her.

For the first time, Naruto actually took a moment to observe her. She had her glossy brunette cut short in a bob cut, her heart-shaped face done up with dark eye shadow and ruby lipstick. Her lithe body was hidden under a thin red blouse and short white skirt. The black decorative bat wings that sprung from her back were the most noticeable oddity about her, aside from the strange flyers she clutched tightly.

"I wouldn't stick around here for much longer if I was you, Miss," Naruto spoke in a surprisingly even voice, "But if you plan on hanging around, do me a favor. When he wakes up…_if_ he wakes up, tell him that next time, he should just shut his mouth and shoot."

Naruto ghosted past her after having said that, ignoring the shaky words of thanks the woman offered as he left the alley behind him, leaving Mizuki behind him. Because when the tiger has its full, it leaves the carcass for the scavengers.

~.~.~

"This isn't up for debate, Umino!"

"But Kurosawa-san, he—"

He leaned back on the small cot that was provided with his holding cell, sighing as he shifted around in a vain attempt to get comfortable. Was he surprised to be here, to find himself in the exact situation his mother had warned him about for years? No, he wasn't. Naruto snorted, _'I beat the shit out of a cop. What else was going to happen?'_

It didn't take long for the police to track down the blonde—in fact, an hour and a half after his confrontation with Mizuki, Naruto was in the back of a squad car, being driven to the station. Apparently, his damsel in distress had called for help, explained what happened, and promptly vanished into thin air, like she never existed at all. She had existed, however, because she had been there to give the police all they needed to know who to look for—a physical description of her blonde savior.

"He _attacked _an officer of this department! Or did you forget that in another few hours, Mizuki will officially be labeled as comatose!?"

"But Naruto-san isn't just some wild animal! If Mizuki was doing what Naruto says he was, then—"

After answering some brief initial questions, the blonde had been thrown into this glorified cement hole in the wall. He had been left here for what felt like ages with nothing to do by sit and wait. Naruto simply passed the hours by listening to the faint voices of the officers in the room down the hall argue over what his fate would be.

"Whether or not Mizuki was engaging in such conduct needs to be looked into and I will personally see to it that it is, but it can't justify that boy's excessive actions! The fact of the matter here, Umino, is that he didit! He _admitted _to assaulting and hospitalizing an _officer_ of this department! _Our _department!"

"I understand that, but—"

"Enough, Umino!"

Naruto wasn't sure why Iruka was so adamant in defending him. Maybe it was because he was his father's son, maybe Iruka just wanted to get all the facts straight, or maybe the officer honestly thought the blonde was a good kid—Naruto just didn't know. Regardless, Iruka had been there the second Naruto set foot in the station, trying to make the process as smooth and painless for Naruto as possible.

It was the least Naruto could do for the man to be honest when they asked him if he did it or not.

'_Not that I wouldn't want the credit,' _Naruto growled, _'Bastard had it coming for a long time and I'd be more than happy to go down in the books as the guy who finally knocked him down a peg.'_

Naruto felt his pulse quicken and head burn. Shaking his head, he breathed deeply and calmed himself—getting angry now wouldn't do him any good. Besides, he had other concerns now that took precedence over the silver-haired asshole. His anger towards Mizuki put aside, the blonde turned his focus to the more pressing matter at hand.

'_Mom's going to murder me!' _Naruto groaned, slapping his hands over his face, _'Damn it, damn it! W-Well, maybe it won't be too bad! A-After all, I promised to try and tone it down fighting delinquents—I never said anything about not fighting cops!'_

Naruto paused, looking over his logic and weighing the likelihood of its success in his mind.

'_I'm so fucking dead,' _Naruto concluded with a wince. With a defeated moan, the blonde dropped his hands back to his sides, "Well, maybe I can at least get Iruka to break the news to her gently…"

"Sounds like you're in a bit of a predicament."

The blonde sighed, "You don't even know the half of—huh?"

Naruto sat up in his cot, eyes darting to the cell door to find a familiar face standing just outside of it, smiling in at him from behind the bars. His long crimson hair was unmistakable, with a sleek, spotless black double-breasted suit worn flawlessly and matching leather shoes, shined to perfection. When Naruto's sapphire eyes finally met his sky-blue eyes, a cheerful smile came over the young man's handsome face and he offered a friendly wave, "Greetings."

"You…you're that guy from Ichiraku," Naruto frowned, bemusement flashing in his eyes.

"That I am," the redhead grinned, "Thank you again for the suggestion, by the way. You were absolutely right—the special was amazing."

"Right? I've had a lot of ramen, but nothing can compare to the way Teuchi…" Naruto shook his head as he trailed off. He could gush about the finer points and qualities of ramen later, but for now he needed to focus, "What are you doing here? How'd you even get back here? I didn't think they let just anyone back here."

Alarms were going off in Naruto's head now. He could no longer hear the arguing voices of Iruka and his superior. Considering the fact that they had been going back and forth for a good few hours, Naruto was fairly certain they wouldn't have just suddenly clammed up.

"Hm? Oh, the door was open and no one else was here, so I just let myself in," he chuckled, running a hand through his crimson locks, "As for what I'm doing here, well, I'm in town to check up on someone very important to me. Of course, she's a bit headstrong, so I have to do my share of sneaking around while I'm here, but—"

"I'm not asking why you're in town!" Naruto snapped, "I want to know why you're here talking to me! And what do you mean no one else was here? Where's Iruka!?"

"Sorry, my mistake. Like I said, we're the only ones here, so I'm certain this Iruka fellow must have gone home," the man nodded at his own logic, "And I am here talking to you because I am going to break you out of prison."

"…Oi, Iruka!" Naruto called out at the top of his lungs, "Might want to get back here! Some crazy dude is sayin' he's gonna bust me out! Iruka!"

Naruto received no answer.

"There, see?" the redhead smiled, "We're alone."

"What did you do to Iruka!?" the blonde growled, storming up to the bars to stare the man down, "If you hurt him, I'll—"

"Please do calm down. I assure you that he, along with his fellow officers, is asleep in his home and completely unharmed. They will all be up and about tomorrow morning with no memories of this evening's events," the man promised, holding up his hands defensively, "Though I suppose it will cause a bit of confusion over the man you hospitalized."

"Bullshit. How could you have gotten them all asleep and in their homes?" Naruto frowned, "And how do you know about Mizuki?"

"I have my ways," he replied cryptically, "You shouldn't be surprised that I know about your bout with Mizuki-san, however. I know about it because I saw it happen."

"You mean you were stalking me?" the blonde accused, glaring at the man as he chuckled sheepishly.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think? I didn't plan on following you, but like I said, I'm in town checking up on a certain someone and by chance I just happened to step into that ramen stand today," the man shrugged, "I couldn't help but take notice of your latent potential—it is staggering, you know. I couldn't very well let you walk away without at least seeing what you were capable of. It was just luck that you happened to end up coming to the aid of an acquaintance of mine."

"Potential? What do you think this is, an RPG?" Naruto scowled, "Wait, so you knew that chick back at the alley and you stood around and did nothing?"

"Well, I don't know her _too _well. She's…well, let's just say she's an employee of someone very dear to me," the redhead smiled, "I would've intervened, but you seemed to handle the situation quite thoroughly. I even got a glimpse at your capabilities, so it all worked out very well in the end."

Naruto stepped back, rubbing his temples as he growled in frustration, "Dealing with a guy like you is _just _what I needed right now, you know? You're not making any sense. You're telling me that you stalked me for half the day because you see some damn…potential or whatever in me, you stood around like an asshole while a friend of yours almost got molested, you followed me here and magically teleported every police officer home, and now you're gonna bust me out of jail?"

"I believe that sums up everything quite nicely, yes."

"Lovely," Naruto turned and shuffled back to his cot, collapsing into it, "Look, just…I dunno, just go away, okay? This might be a dream or maybe you're just bullshitting me, either way, I'm not in the mood to deal with this crap."

The stranger blinked, "So…you don't want to get out of prison?"

"Why do you even want to bust me out in the first place?" Naruto grunted, "It's not like there's any doubt that I did it—you saw it yourself and I'm not denying it. You and I both know I'm guilty as charged. So why even bother?"

"Think of it as repayment for the ramen and for helping my acquaintance," was the man's smooth reply.

Naruto snorted, "I helped you decide on lunch and saved someone you barely know. I haven't exactly done enough to warrant a jailbreak…at least, not unless there's some kinda catch."

Without warning, the redhead burst out laughing, apparently no longer able to contain the chuckles that Naruto hadn't even noticed the man was holding back. The blonde eyed the stranger warily as he doubled over and clutched his sides. He ceased his laughter a few moments later, straightening himself out as he wiped a tear from his eye, "S-Sorry, sorry, it's just that it's been awhile since someone has seen through me so clearly."

"So there is a catch," Naruto concluded.

"A small one—almost insignificant, really," the man smiled, "I just have a favor to ask of you. It won't take but a minute and once it's done, you'll be free to go."

"…Let's say you did manage to knock out all the cops in here. Let's say you somehow got them all back to their homes and, for whatever crazy reason, none of them are going to remember tomorrow that I beat the shit out of that bastard," Naruto sat up in his cot, "Either way, I don't see you holding any keys and you don't look like you can rip through these bars with your hands. How are you even going to get me out?"

"How?" the stranger blinked, "Why, by opening the door, of course. It's not locked."

"What?" Naruto stood up. Approaching the door, the blonde stared at his would-be freer with a look that clearly questioned the man's intelligence, "Of course it's locked, you idiot. Why wouldn't they lock it? Hell, I saw Iruka lock the damn thing myse…"

Naruto trailed off when he finally reached the door and gave the barred barrier hearty shove. To his surprise, it flung open, leaving nothing between him and the outside world but a few feet of empty space. Naruto stared at the lock on the door—he was absolutely certain that he had seen Iruka lock it; just as he was certain that he would've noticed the strange man unlock it. His gaze shot from the door to the man, who merely smiled down at him.

"Just who are you, exactly?" Naruto finally inquired.

"So glad you asked!" the man extended his hand for Naruto to shake, "You may call me Sirzechs. And you are?"

"…Like you don't already know," Naruto shook his head, but didn't reject Sirzechs' handshake, "Namikaze Naruto."

"I see. Well then, Naruto-san, shall we step outside?" Sirzechs ignored the blonde's accusation and gestured to the exit with a sweeping motion, "I think it's best if we continue this outside, don't you?"

~.~.~

A wave of heat struck Naruto the very moment he set foot outside the police station. It was humid, the blonde noted with a grimace, to the point that just standing in the sticky, moisture-filled atmosphere was an uncomfortable act. Above them, dark clouds gathered, churning and twisting as they swarmed together. It was only a matter of time before a downpour would begin, something the youth had no interest in getting caught up in. With that notion in his mind, he turned to Sirzechs, who seemed to be surveying the street before them. It was as empty as it was going to get at this time of night—no pedestrians, with only a few cars passing by.

"Alright, so what's this favor of yours? You said it'd be quick," Naruto glanced down at his watch, frowning when he noticed it was already eight o'clock, "And I gotta be home in an hour if I wanna avoid the beating of my life."

"That shouldn't be a problem, then," Sirzechs nodded his head, "We should be able to take care of it right here and now."

Sirzechs walked further down the sidewalk, putting a fair bit of distance between Naruto and himself. When he seemed to be satisfied with the space between the two of them, he stopped and turned to the blonde with an expectant look, "I want you to fight me, Naruto-san."

Naruto blinked, "…I'm sorry, but what did you just say?"

"I want you to fight me," Sirzechs repeated.

"Yeah, that's what I thought you said," Naruto sighed, slapping his forehead, "You saw what I did to Mizuki, right? You understand that I'm not exactly a pushover when it comes to fighting? That I don't exactly know how to pull my punches?"

"I did and I do."

"Then trust me when I say you don't want what you're asking for," Naruto spoke, crossing his arms over his chest as he did.

"Please don't worry about me. I'm actually a bit stronger than I look," Sirzechs chuckled, "Now, let's begin. I'm ready when you are."

"You aren't even listening to me, are you?" Naruto muttered, "Fine then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Bending his knees, Naruto sprung forward, his guard up and ready as he began to close the distance between them. Sirzechs' cool gaze observed every move he made, from the grandest gestures to the slightest twitches. As the blonde drew closer and closer, the well-dressed man simply stood there, his posture limp and relaxed even while facing the impending onslaught that was his opponent's fists. Once he was within range, Naruto threw a devastating uppercut at the redhead, fully intent on ending the fight in a single bow.

Sirzechs merely stepped back, watching with genuine curiosity as the blonde's fist sailed up to meet the space his chin had occupied only moments ago.

Naruto growled in frustration, following up the assault with a straight punch that Sirzechs deftly dodged by twisting to the side and taking a step back. Naruto, unable to stop the momentum behind his fist, slid next to Sirzechs. Deciding to use the positioning to his advantage, the blonde shot his elbow out, looking to land a heavy blow to his opponent's chest.

Sirzechs step backwards yet again, forcing Naruto to overshoot himself and stumble.

Perhaps it was because he saw an opportunity or maybe it was just to prove a point, but Sirzechs chose this moment to counterattack. With a thoughtful hum, the man brought up his leg and, in a surprising show of force, drove his knee into Naruto's stomach. The power behind the blow was obvious to its recipient, who slid back as the joint pushed against his body.

The blonde grunted in pain, staggering backwards to reevaluate his foe. Naruto's glare met Sirzechs' smirk.

"So you see that you are in no risk of causing me any great injury. Please, do not hold back on my account," Sirzechs spoke evenly, "I need you to come at me full-force."

Naruto snarled in response, rushing ahead with a jab that Sirzechs quickly smacked away. Bringing his right arm back, Naruto snapped forward to deliver a hook aimed at the redhead's cheek, only for the man to reach out and snatch the blonde's wrist.

Eyes wide, Naruto struggled to pull himself from Sirzechs' shockingly vice-like grip. The odd man, for his part, showed no great effort on his face or movements as he pulled the fighting blonde's fist closer towards him. Determined to get out of his enemy's grip, Naruto threw his left fist forward, poised to strike the man square in the jaw.

"How curious," Sirzechs didn't so much as glance in the direction of the attack as he raised his free hand up to catch it as well. Now, with both of Naruto's hands caught, the redhead seemed far more focused on observing them than he was on the growling blonde he had trapped, "You aren't holding anything back, are you, Naruto-san? You are trying, correct?"

"Don't…fuck with me, you…" Naruto grunted out as he fought against Sirzechs' hold, "Son of a…bitch!"

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," Sirzechs hummed, "How odd. I was certain that I felt an impressive amount of the holy element when you were fighting the officer earlier today…"

Sirzechs turned his gaze from Naruto's fists to the blonde himself, staring into the blonde's eyes with a sharp, calculating look. While Sirzechs did this, Naruto continued to attempt to pry himself free, to no avail until, suddenly and for no apparent reason, Sirzechs just let go. Clearly not expecting this, the end result of Naruto's struggling was that the blonde tripped backwards, landing onto the pavement below. He was just about to stand and attack again when Naruto found himself halted by Sirzechs' words.

"Timeout."

"…What?" Naruto blinked, bemusement flashing over his features.

"Timeout," Sirzechs stated again in a matter-of-fact tone before motioning for Naruto to come closer, "I need to check something. Come here, Naruto-san."

"You expect me to buy that?" Naruto gave Sirzechs a flat stare, "Besides, you wanted one favor and that was a fight. What do you want now?"

"You have my word that I won't strike you until we're both ready again and I assure you that all I want is to fight you," Sirzechs gave a winning smile as he spoke, "But I want to make sure of something before we continue. Now if you'd please step this way, I promise this won't take long."

"…I swear if you sucker punch me, I'll gut you like a fish," Naruto grumbled under his breath as he stood and brushed himself off. He stepped forward and waited as Sirzechs began to look him over, an impatient yet expectant look upon his face. Leaning down, Sirzechs stroked his chin as he stared at the youth before him. The pair spent a good few minutes standing like that in complete silence, with Naruto finally breaking the quiet.

"Satisfied?" Naruto questioned.

"Just about—I think I see the problem here. Hold still, Naruto-san," Sirzechs requested calmly as he placed his palm flat against Naruto's forehead. Naruto stiffened at the sudden contact, but found himself unable to step away, unwilling to reach up and slap the man's hand away. Something inside Naruto, some primal part of him, was roaring its approval at what was about to happen and it would not be denied. Still, this did not prevent Naruto's mind from voicing its confusion at the situation.

"W-What are you—"

"Release!"

It was heat and pain, flowing into him like hellfire and damnation, burning him, eating away at him from the inside and reducing him to cinders—that is an apt description of the sensation that washed over the blonde. Naruto screamed in agony, his body convulsing as he collapsed to his knees. The heat worked its way through his body at a tormenting slow pace, leaving his form ablaze with pain in its wake. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he clenched them shut, his mind blank and unable to bear the torture a second longer.

Sirzechs did not let go, nor did he flinch or falter as he saw Naruto's suffering. With a stony visage, he kept his palm pressed to Naruto, even kneeling down when the young man collapsed to make sure it stayed in place. He did not speak, he simply watched.

Finally, he lifted his hand and stood.

"Sorry about that. I suppose I should've warned you that it might sting," Sirzechs apologized, "I didn't think the seal would be that difficult to remove, though—it put up quite a fight. Whoever placed it clearly knew what they were doing. Anyway, how do you feel now?"

Gasping for air, his body still trembling from the sheer pain he was engulfed in not seconds ago, the blonde looked up and glowered at Sirzechs, "H-How…do I feel? How do I feel!? You complete and utter bastard! You do…whatever the fuck that was to me and then you ask me how I feel!? I'll tell you how I feel, you son of a bitch, I feel…good…"

Naruto paused, confusion clear in his tone as he pushed himself up onto two shaky legs. For some reason beyond his comprehension, his body felt lighter than it ever had before. His vision was clearer, his senses of smell and hearing more pronounced than they had been when he awoke this morning for school. Naruto stared down at his hand, clenching it into a fist as he realized that he even felt physically stronger.

"No…better than good. I feel great," Naruto spoke, amazement in his voice.

Sirzechs smiled, "Excellent. Now, I want you to listen to me, Naruto-san."

"O-Okay…" Naruto nodded numbly, still confused as to what was happening to his body.

"Close your eyes," Sirzechs waited for Naruto to do so before continuing, "I want you to picture the inside of your body as an empty vessel. Can you see it?"

Naruto _could _see it. It was as if his body was hollow and only a yawning, gaping emptiness existed within him. It stretched on for as far as he could see in every direction, never ending, and as vast as it was, it was also almost completely dark. Inky, boundless blackness swept over the entire expanse, swallowing nearly everything into its clutches.

"I think I can," Naruto muttered, "B-But…it's not completely empty. I dunno what it is, but it's bright—really bright."

Yes, floating there in this void was a brilliantly shining light, burning brighter than the sun itself. Its presence demanded to be seen, to be known. It refused to fade into the darkness of the void, rejecting the notion of compromising itself to the will of its surroundings.

"Good, very good," Sirzechs couldn't hide the excitement in his voice, "You must reach out to it, Naruto-san. Grasp it with your own hands, take hold of it and assert your will. Turn the light into your strength, your power—it must become an extension of yourself."

Naruto did so. He moved closer and closer to the light, his hands outstretched and pointed towards its warm embrace. It called out to him, welcoming him and urging him to take it and make it his own. So he did. Naruto reached out and took hold of the light, cradling it within his hands as it began to glow brighter and brighter within his grasp. It lit up the void, driving away the darkness and swallowing everything, even Naruto, into is radiance.

Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"What was th—whoa!" Naruto jumped back in surprise. Both of his arms were entirely engulfed by the same golden light he had pictured in his mind, glowing so fiercely that the blonde had thought he was on fire. Naruto gazed at his hands and arms in wonder, turning and twisting them to see that they were indeed completely covered by the light, "W-Why are my arms glowing?"

"Astounding," Sirzechs mumbled, "Such potent holy Light…"

"Sirzechs stop gawking and tell me what the hell's going on," Naruto snapped, "I have glow sticks for arms and I'd like to know why!"

"Ah, yes, of course. You see, Naruto-san, you seem to be in the possession of an astounding affinity for the holy element of Light," Sirzechs explained, "It is currently manifesting itself by channeling through your arms, resulting in your current appearance. I thought I sensed a good amount of the element from you earlier, but I never imagined you'd have enough to visibly display it like this without willing it a form..."

"Light?" Naruto frowned, waving his arms to emphasize his point, "Since when have I had that? Because, and trust me when I say this, I think I'd have noticed if my arms ever turned into light bulbs!"

"Well, I would assume you were born with it. It is only appearing now because, when I placed my hand on your head, I removed a seal that kept it contained and separate from your consciousness," Sirzechs frowned, rubbing his chin in thought, "Though why you possess so much of it is beyond me. Perhaps it is simply a mutation, in the same vein as albinism? But then why seal it away?"

"Who cares!? I can't go home like this! I'm a walking LED!" Naruto groaned, "How do I turn it off?"

"Turn it off? You misunderstand, Naruto-san. I said it earlier, didn't I? The element is an extension of yourself. You can't turn it off any more than you can turn off an arm or a leg," Sirzechs gestured to Naruto's arms, "If you want the glowing to stop, you have to will it to. Focus. The Light is your tool now, Naruto-san, and you must choose the shape it takes."

"Will it?" Naruto stared down at his arms, silently commanding them to return to normal. After a few moments of concentration, the glow began to fade before dying out completely, much to Naruto's great relief. Naruto released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and turned back to Sirzechs, "So what can this…Light do, exactly? I don't know what to make of any of this—it seems like something straight out of a video game."

"The holy element is a tool that is molded into shape by its wielder. If it helps, you could think of it as an element from an RPG—it has certain qualities and specific characteristics that make it excel in combat," Sirzechs expounded, "As I said, you ultimately decide what form your Light takes, Naruto-san, through force of will. It is you and you are it."

"It's me, huh?" Naruto glanced at his arms, "I always wondered what it'd be like to have superpowers. Would've preferred flight or time control, but this works too, I guess."

"It's a gift," Sirzechs gave the blonde a reassuring smile, patting him on the shoulder, "One that many would desire were they aware of it. Use it wisely, Naruto-san."

"Right," Naruto gave a firm nod of his head, "So, about our fight…"

"Hm? Oh, that's quite alright," Sirzechs shook his head, brushing off Naruto's concerns with a wave of his hand, "My intentions in fighting you were to trigger the holy element within you. When I saw you use it subconsciously in your fight with Mizuki, I thought you needed to be fighting to wield it, but it seems all that was needed was to remove the seal inhibiting the Light. You must've been quite angry with that Mizuki fellow to draw upon a noticeable amount of Light despite that powerful seal."

"Yeah…" Naruto trailed off, scowling. He'd rather not think of that asshole at the moment.

"Anyway, take this, Naruto-san," Sirzechs retrieved a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to the blonde, "It's my number. Feel free to call me should you have any more questions about your abilities."

"Thanks, Sirzechs. I will," Naruto took the paper and slipped it into his pocket, "But, uh, if you don't mind me asking, just who are you? Ordinary guys aren't dabbling in this kinda stuff, are they?"

Sirzechs laughed, "I'm no one of importance, Naruto-san. Besides, rather than worry about me, shouldn't you be worried about getting home? You said you needed to be back at the turn of the hour, right? In that case, you only have twenty minutes."

"Huh!?" Naruto checked his watch. Sure enough, the redhead was correct. Cursing, Naruto turned and took off running down the street, calling back to Sirzechs as he did, "Thanks for everything, Sirzechs! I'll be sure to call if I got any questions! See ya later!"

"Take care, Naruto-san!" Sirzechs laughed as he waved the youth off. Once Naruto rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, however, Sirzechs' smile dropped in favor of a gloomy, downtrodden expression. Glancing up to the stormy skies, Sirzechs frowned as he watched a bolt of lightning dash across the turbulent clouds, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Raindrops began to hit the pavement, one by one, as the sky began to weep.

Giving one last pensive look in the direction Naruto had ran off in, Sirzechs sighed and began to head in the opposite bearing, _'Forgive me, Naruto-san, but if sacrificing your future means protecting Rias', then it's a sacrifice I have to make…whether or not it is mine to make in the first place.'_

As he walked off, he ignored the sickening feeling that overcame him as the skies churned. Above the clouds, hidden behind a cover of lightning and rain, a blinding light descended. One word chanted over and over in its mind as it hovered in place, peeking out at the entire city from cracks within the brewing storm.

"_**Nephilim…" **_

~.~.~

'_Of course I would get caught in the storm! Why wouldn't I? My luck's been so fucking great today!' _Naruto released a frustrated groan, glancing down at his watch, _'Well fuck it! As long as I make curfew, I'll call it today a good one and, with ten minutes left, I should just be able to make it!'_

The heavy storm that Naruto dreaded would come earlier broke shortly after the blonde had left Sirzechs outside the police station. While the rain was anything but pleasant for the blonde to be running in, it also came with the advantage of clearing out any pedestrians that would still be out and about on the sidewalks at this time of night, meaning he was free to run at full speed without fear of bumping into someone. Utilizing this, the blonde had made it to the park in record time, which he was currently cutting through as a shortcut back home.

A grin broke out on Naruto's face as he saw the exit of the park come into view, even in the heavy downpour, _'Almost there! I'm gonna make it!'_

"_**Nephilim…"**_

Naruto froze on the spot as a chill ran up his spine, one he certain wasn't due to the cold rain striking down upon his body. He quickly turned left and right, searching for the source of the voice he had heard. The blonde found no one in sight, but came to a different, startling realization by doing so, _'The rain…stopped?'_

That is not to say that the rain had ceased and the storm was over. No, the rain had _literally _stopped—millions upon millions of droplet hung suspended in the air, unyielding to the calls of gravity. Naruto glanced around, quickly observing his surroundings. The winds that had carried the storms on their backs had stopped howling and the dark clouds above had ceased twisting against one another—everything but Naruto seemed to freeze.

'_It's like someone hit pause on a movie,' _Naruto noted, looking down at his watch. As the blonde suspected, the hands that once busied themselves with spinning were deathly still—time itself had come to a grinding halt. For what reason, Naruto was unsure, but he was just about to go looking for answers when his blue eyes happened to catch sight of the storm clouds parting above the park. Light filtered through where the billowing grey masses had split, with a single orb of golden radiance slipping through and descending.

It was large, large enough to enclose a car within it Naruto observed, and as it plummeted and drew closer to the ground, the blonde also found that it wasn't empty. He could see something moving within the light, something churning behind a thin veil of blinding luminescence, but he could not make out what it was.

It was not until the orb was only perhaps fifteen or twenty feet from the ground that it shattered like glass to reveal its contents that Naruto glimpsed what moved inside of it.

A pair of pearly wheels, both the size of a full grown adult and bathed in a captivating brilliance, nested within each other hovered before Naruto. They spun at a consistent slow pace, never pausing for a second, even when the eyes began to open. Yes, eyes. Thousands upon thousands of eyes all came to life at once, blinking into reality along the outer rims of the wheels, every single one burning with the glow of a candle. Every time an eye would close, it would fade away back into the wheel, disappearing as though it had never existed to begin with, only for a new eye to open up and take its place moments later.

It hung there in the air for a moment, as if taking a second to gather its bearings, as Naruto looked on in shock and awe, unable to move. Finally, it acted. Every one of its many burning eyes turned and locked gazes with Naruto, who suddenly felt as though he was staring down an army.

They simply stared at each other, appearing as though they were trying to comprehend and grasp the meaning and reason behind the other's existence. The silence was broken, however, when, despite having no visible mouth anywhere on its person, it spoke.

"_**Nephilim…" **_its voice was that of a thousand whispers, all thundering within Naruto's mind at once.

Assuming the creature was addressing him, Naruto chose to speak, "W-What are you?"

It seemed to find no reason to deny him an answer, as it responded almost immediately.

"_**Many are the names that have been bestowed upon us. 'Ophanim,' 'Ophde,' 'Galgallin'…those are the names that mankind has given us. We answer only to the name He allowed us, however. We are Throne of the Chariot, bearers of His Justice and protectors of His Harmony…and you are Nephilim."**_

Naruto was still trying to wrap his head around this. He realized, somewhere inside of him, that he should be panicking a lot more than he was right now, but for some reason he wasn't. No, for some reason, this felt familiar. Maybe the oddness that had just taken place at the police station had placed him in the right mindset to handle this or maybe he had gone crazy—Naruto wasn't sure. Right now, as he stood talking to what had to be an angel (albeit a strange looking one), he wasn't sure of anything. All he knew was that he had to steel his nerves and prepare for what was about to happen, whatever it may be.

"I-I see…" Naruto frowned, "Why are you here?"

Again, its reply came immediately.

"_**We once basked in His Presence, chanting His Name and His Glory at the Birthplace of Creation, dwelling within Power under His Divine Immanence. We were His Reach, we were His Eyes. We held the honor of carrying His Most Holy Form as bearers of Merkabah. Our humble existence was exalted then, when we stood by His Side, now no longer, now no more. We exist now only to uphold His Most Righteous Law, to maintain His Glorious Order. We have descended to bring His Will, His Judgment, to the tainted and the earthly. You are the reason for our presence, Nephilim."**_

"You keep calling me that—Nephilim," Naruto muttered. For some reason, the word felt as though it left a rancid taste in his mouth, "What does it even mean?"

"_**Nephilim—he who is born of human and angel—exists as a 'Son of God' unchosen by His Will, but chosen by the subjects of His Kingdom. Forge in heresy, tempered by apostasy. You, Nephilim, are blasphemy incarnate, for He has not ordained your actuality. You, Nephilim, must be eradicated."**_

Naruto felt his heart drop into his stomach, "What?"

"_**Your being is an insult to His Divinity. You must perish."**_

"I have to die just because I was born!? That's bullshit!" Naruto roared indignantly, outrage overtaking his shock and fear.

"_**You dare question His Will?"**_

"You're damn well right I do!" Naruto shouted, "I'm not even this Nephilim you keep bitching about! I'm the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, dumbass! A cop and an editor! Not angels!"

"_**You are proof of Zadkiel's betrayal. Zadkiel fell from grace and assumed the form of a human—your father, the one you declare to be Namikaze Minato. Hiding behind an innocent, your mother, he stowed away from His Divine Wrath and escaped His Fury for a time. "**_

Naruto's world crumbled. His father was an angel, an angel that…had lied and used his mother as a way of escaping death. Images of his father's soft smiles and proud grins, memories of his deep laughter and joyful utterances—they all came rushing forward to the forefront of Naruto's mind…and shattered, one by one, burning away like photographs tossed to an inferno.

"T-That's…not true. That's not true," Naruto muttered, tears leaking from his eyes and voice growing louder with each denial, "That's a lie! _That's nothing but a goddamn lie, you son of a bitch!_"

But what reason would it have to lie? What could it possibly gain from fibbing? That was the dreadful question that planted itself in Naruto's mind, one that shook his very form with its mere presence as he glared daggers up at the angel.

"_**Whether you accept the truth or not does little to change it. All Nephilim not ordained by His Will must be annihilated."**_

"Fuck you and fuck that!" Naruto howled, "You think I'm just going to accept that I have to die because God didn't approve me!?"

"_**Kneel, Nephilim, and acknowledge His Will. You will bow and accept your fate."**_

"I'm not about to just roll over and die!" Naruto growled, falling into his normal fighting stance. In a flash of light, the holy element engulfed his arms. Naruto wasn't sure how to use it, but Sirzechs had mentioned it to be useful in combat and now seemed like a good time to learn, "I don't even know if you have an ass to kick, but I'm not gonna bow down without a fight!"

"_**You misunderstand, Nephilim. Our words were not a suggestion."**_

The many eyes of the Throne widened in unison, thin rays of light shooting forth from their pupils like arrows descending from the heavens. The threads of light twirled in the air, coalescing into a single beam. The beam tore through the atmosphere, hurdling towards Naruto at inhumane speeds. With no time to dodge, it was all the blonde could do to lift up his forearms in an attempt to block the brunt of the blast. Bracing himself, Naruto shut his eyes and grit his teeth.

He never felt anything.

Had the angel missed? Had the heavenly being had a change of heart? Confusion wracked Naruto's mind, with neither hopeful theory seeming likely. Opening his eyes, Naruto looked down at himself.

The beam had not missed.

Though he felt no pain from the attack, the blonde now sported a hole at least a foot in diameter in the middle of his chest. Where his arms had reached up and made contact with the beam to shield his body from the blow had also been sliced cleanly through, leaving the telltale soft curve of the blast carved into his flesh. Blood erupted from his wounds and, before Naruto could so much as utter another word, he collapsed backwards onto the pavement of the park's walkway.

"_**All is well. May your soul find your way to His Side."**_

And just like that, the angel had vanished. In the blink of an eye, it was gone. The rain once again to heed gravity's demands, the winds began to race once more, and the clouds twisted and churned above Naruto's fallen form. The dying boy was now the only evidence that the angelic being had ever graced the earth at all.

With heavy eyes, Naruto stared up into the stormy skies, blood leaking from his lips, _'So…this is how it ends…heh…I wonder how many people can say they got shot by an angel.'_

Naruto's blood began to pool around him, mixing with the rainwater as it stained the concrete. The blonde shook as he coughed up crimson and saliva, shaking loose the slip of paper Sirzechs had given him from his pocket. It fell into the pool of his blood, drifting along the ripples caused by the rain hitting the irony puddle. A sudden thought occurred to Naruto, his eyesight growing hazy as he craned his neck to glance down at his watch.

There was only one minute until nine o'clock.

'_Damn…s-sorry, Mom, but it looks like I'm not gonna be making curfew tonight…' _Naruto chuckled weakly, _'She…s-she's gonna be pissed.'_

Naruto's eyelids became too heavy for him to hold up any longer, tears leaking out as he thought of his mother's happy smile. He shut them.

'_That's right…Mom…I…I'll never get…the chance to ask…a-about Dad. That a-angel…it s-said all those things, but…' _Naruto frowned, "…I…wish…I had the ch-chance…to l-learn the truth about Dad…"

Unnoticed by Naruto, the blood-soaked paper shimmered softly as he whispered those words. The odd design that rested on it, the very same intricate markings that were on the slips of paper belonging to the women he had rescued early, began to glow.

'_But…it's been a long day...and I'm tired…' _Naruto decided, a cold sensation gripping his form and a small, relaxed smile breaking out on his face_ 'Mom…Kiba…Teuchi…Iruka…hell, even Hyoudou…I'm sure…they won't mind…if I just…take a quick nap…'_

The clock struck nine and, with a smile on his face, Namikaze Naruto died.

~.~.~

_In what distant deeps or skies  
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?  
On what wings dare he aspire?  
What the hand, dare seize the fire?_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or High School DxD

Would you believe I actually thought I could fit all of that into 10,000 words? Well, there you have it—my first work of fan-fiction here at . Just to give you an understanding at how picky and choosy I am as a writer, I spent a good day and a half on each and every single scene before I was satisfied enough to move onto the next. Anyway, I'm just going to address the elephant in the room that I'm certain several of you are about to comment about.

_Aren't you ripping off A Demon Among Devils by having Naruto be a Nephilim?_ It's kind of sad that I have to address this, but I'd rather do it preemptively then have several commenters cussing me out for it later. First off, I fucking love _A Demon Among Devils_, so go check it out when you're done here because it's brilliant and far more deserving of your attention than this story. Second off, no, I am not ripping it off. For starters, the concept of a Nephilim is biblical and has been used in fiction multiple times. Hell, I didn't even get the idea of making Naruto a Nephilim from _A Demon Among Devils,_ I got it from the only Nephilim that showed up on _Supernatural._ I saw that episode and it got the hamster wheel in my mind spinning and so I made this. What's more, and this is speculation, but it seems as though _A Demon Among Devils _is making the concept of Nephilim a more spiritual thing, as in Minato is not literally the son of an angel. In this story, Naruto is indeed the son of an angel and being a Nephilim is more of a physical concept, just like being an Angel or a Devil. It gives him certain powers, but the title isn't reflective of his personality or his actions…if any of that makes any sense.

There. The elephant in the room is (hopefully) thoroughly shot. Moving on.

_Chapter length? _This one was a doozy, wasn't it? Close to 18,000 words. Hell, that's three or four chapters worth of content for some stories. They won't always be this long, of course—I just had a lot I wanted to establish in this first chapter, from Naruto's reputation, to his relationships, to his abilities, to his death and existence as a Nephilim. That's not to say that my chapters will ever be super short, either. I will not post a chapter that is under 10,000 words. I just won't. So, expect at least a bare minimum of 10,000 words with every chapter.

_Naruto got his ass stomped by the angel? _Yeah, he did. He sure as hell did. Naruto has, up to this point in his life, been completely unaware of the supernatural. He is stepping onto the scene at level one—of course he would get his ass kicked. But I know some of you are going to be accusing me of making him too weak, so I have to address this anyway. Naruto will get stronger, I assure you. It will not come instantly, but it won't take an ungodly amount of time either. He will progress at a healthy pace and take on stronger and stronger opponents until, one day, he will be able to kick the ass of an angel like that.

_Naruto's powers as a Nephilim? _These will be expanded upon in the next few chapters. I did drop some hints already, the most obvious being that he is going to have control over Light, but also other hints. He will generally be more durable, faster, and stronger than a human being, but being a Nephilim has less obvious advantages as well.

_What about Chakra?_ Yes, chakra exists in this story and yes, I have plans for it. I won't be saying anything more than that, but rest assured that it will play a role.

Okay, I think that's everything. For those of you who were able to catch the references to JoJo your first read through, let me congratulate you and tell you that you're awesome. Well, that's it for my first work, so please leave a review and tell me what you think I did right or what I horribly messed up on. How am I doing with the pacing? How are the characters and their relationships to Naruto? How was my writing? Please let me know so that I can either improve or stay the course.

That said, have a good one everybody and thanks for stopping by.


	2. Come Clarity

_And what shoulder, and what art,  
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?  
And when thy heart began to beat,  
What dread hand? And what dread feet?_

_~.~.~_

_Chapter Two: Come Clarity_

_~.~.~_

As she set foot on the moist, rain-soaked earth, Rias Gremory couldn't help but grimace at the amalgamation of emotions that swelled within her.

On one hand, vim and vigor practically wafted off her form, cleansing her mind like the waters of a cooling summer shower. She always felt this way after rainfall, always felt as rejuvenated as the parched land, its thirst finally sated. The effect was made doubly potent under the serene beauty that was the moon's soft glow, which leaked out from behind the last few passing clouds of the faded squall. All was quiet, all was cool, and, for a rare moment in her young life, Rias could feel at peace.

Yet, as she stood there in the brisk mist, ruby tresses waltzing in the night's breeze, the young Devil could not help but shake the sense of danger that gripped her. Lingering within the refreshing evening air was the unyielding presence of an unnerving metallic scent. It wafted all around her, carried by the gust it haunted, and it only took but a moment for the young woman to place a name to the ominous fragrance—it was the stench of blood, freshly spilt. Turning to observe her surroundings, however, Rias found that the scent of blood drifted from her mind as it focused on another disturbing quality of the area around her.

The entirety of the small park she stood in, every single inch of it, felt as though it was sacred land. It was as though Saint Peter himself had walked across these fields, as if the blood of the dragon slain by Saint George had nourished the flora. Holiness ruled over this territory with absolute sovereignty, with unquestioned authority.

Rias utterly abhorred every second of it.

The holiness roared at her presence, raging against her demonic nature. It commanded her to repent, bid her to renounce herself and bathe in holy fire, for her screams of anguish would be the only forgiveness that the Lord would accept. And yet, while one side of this infuriating divinity snarled its decrees, there existed another side—softer, gentler, yet all the more disturbing. It whispered in her ears, full of compassion and love. It told her of how beautiful the Kingdom of Heaven was, murmured that she would find eternal bliss should she just cleanse herself and go to God. It asked her, in the same kind tone a mother would use to address her own child, to impale herself upon a holy blade, to drown herself in blessed waters, to bow before the church and accept crucifixion.

Rias quivered, her skin crawling as she stepped forward, _'With this…unpleasant feeling in the air, an Angel must have been here—a powerful one, at that.' _

She felt alienated, vulnerable, surrounded on all sides by terrifying manifestations that existed only within her darkest subconscious. The quicker she satisfied the contractor, the quicker she could leave. With that sentiment in heart, Rias glanced around, searching for the one who summoned her to this dreadful park.

It didn't take long to find him.

He lay there, in a pool of his own blood, under the fluorescent glow of a nearby streetlamp. Her crystal-like blue eyes widened for only a fraction of a second, surprise showing on her beautiful, heart-shaped face before she wiped it off. Rias steeled herself; the morbid reality of the scene did not escape her.

As she drew closer to the cadaver, Rias noted with grim curiosity that she recognized the fallen youth.

'_That blonde hair…' _Rias frowned, _'Isn't that Namikaze-san?'_

Rias wasn't one for gossip—it just wasn't in her nature to care too much about what nasty lies people spread about one another behinds each other's backs. Besides, she had been far too busy and stressed these past few months fretting over her rapidly approaching marriage to afford to pay attention to the insignificant daily word of mouth. Even she, however, knew who Namikaze Naruto was—_everyone _in Kuoh Academy did. He had made quite the splash with his sudden appearance, after all.

Oh yes, she _had_ heard the rumors surrounding Namikaze Naruto. He was a walking magnet for trouble—gangs all over the city were apparently lining up to get smacked down by the blonde and he was all too happy to oblige. Sona had her hands full just dealing with all the complaints that flooded into the Student Council daily and often Rias had found herself discussing some of the more interesting complaints as her friend vented over tea.

'_So Namikaze-san was killed by an Angel? Why?' _Rias questioned.

She'd never heard of a case where an Angel, the embodiment of the virtues, outright murdered a human being, the very lives they were tasked with protecting. Just the thought of it seemed almost too foreign, too out there, for Rias to fully accept.

Then again, nothing about Naruto seemed to be ordinary. She had heard of his oddities and grown curious to the point that Rias had asked her trusted Knight, Yuuto Kiba, to keep an eye on him. As if the delinquent was making a hobby out of surprising her, he actually managed to build an honest friendship with the swordsman. The redhead could tell that Kiba valued the time he spent with his fellow blonde from the subtle changes to his attitude she observed. Whenever Kiba would report back to her about the delinquent, his ever-present smile would stretch just a bit wider and the underlying anger that gripped many of his actions seemed to dull.

Ironically, hanging out with a brutish brawler had made Kiba calmer than she had ever seen him. She'd be lying if she said it didn't make her immensely curious as to just what kind of person Naruto actually was. Rias had been planning on introducing herself to him one day, when she had the time to talk.

Now, staring down at the prone body before her and the soft smile spread across the Naruto's face, Rias couldn't help but feel a sadness grip her heart, _'I…I just wish we had met under better circumstances.'_

She had heard his final wish through her seal's magic. The words—his final words, his final regret—echoed in Rias' mind as she retrieved a small chess piece from her pocket, a pawn.

"…_I…wish…I had the ch-chance…to l-learn the truth about Dad…"_

A man's final wish—his last chance to hope, his last opportunity to want. Many men would've wished for money or power. They might have asked for women, for youth. Some would simply pray that they would not die. Yet, as Naruto had lain dying, he had used his final breath to ask to learn about his father. It was a simple desire and an honest one, one not driven by greed or lust or wrath. It was that pureness that compelled her, that enthralled her.

"I'm sorry…but this is the only way I can offer you the chance to learn the truth," she stared down at the gaping hole in Naruto's chest, clenching the chest piece in her hand. Kneeling down, Rias reached out to hold the pawn piece above the blonde, "I suppose I should start with a pawn and work my way up if a stronger piece is nee—kyah!"

With all the grace and speed of a striking serpent, light erupted out of Naruto's fatal wound, shooting upwards to smack the pawn out of Rias' hand. Caught off guard, Rias could do little else other than release a surprised shriek and fall back onto the wet pavement. She stared, frozen like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, at the luminescent tendril that had sprung from the corpse. It almost resembled a cobra, rising up from a basket at the command of its charmer. It held the very same sense of danger, the very same awareness of an incredibly perilous and volatile beast, only vaguely contained by the incomprehensible rules that governed its mind.

The youthful devil shifted her gaze for a split-second, quickly scanning the immediate area for her fallen piece. She acted on instinct, caught in an unprecedented situation and confined within boundaries she could not see—Rias sought the only reassurance she could find, the feeling of the oaken chess pawn in her grasp. She caught sight of it, lying a foot away where the pavement met the damp grass. With a trembling hand, Rias moved for the piece, for the comfort of its familiarity.

She hadn't even noticed when the vine-like brilliance had moved, hadn't so much as seen it twitch beyond its initial lashing. It now halted her hand, however, having extended down and placed itself between her nimble fingers and the pawn in the blink of an eye. It hung there, guarding the chess piece, keeping her from it with all the determination of a snake protecting its egg.

'_W-What is this!?'_ Rias wondered, shivering as she was bathed in the potent sacredness that wafted off of the tendril, _'It's…conscious?!' _

It stood stalk still, pointed at her as if it was observing her every move, eying the slightest twitch of her fingers and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It dared her to move her hand, dared her to reach for the piece. Rias, however, was far too stunned to consider moving, far too astounded to contemplate retracting her hand. She had seen holy Light before, seen the angelic and the fallen alike bend the element to their command, but it was nothing like this. Nothing so primal, nothing so completely animalistic as what hung before her.

'_Was Namikaze-san a Fallen Angel?' _Rias frowned, glaring at the Light, _'No…there's no way that Kiba wouldn't have noticed that Namikaze-san wasn't human.' _

"Fantastic! Utterly brilliant!"

As the voice reached her ears, Rias resisted her initial instinct to whirl around and see who had stumbled across this scene—she dare not make any more sudden movements while so close to the holy appendage. Instead, she opted to slowly inch backwards, away from the threat of the apparently self-aware holy Light. It was only when she felt that she had placed a safe enough distance between herself and it that she stood and turned to see the newcomer. By that time, the stranger had already waltzed right up to Naruto's corpse, standing next to her and eying it as though it were a toy.

It was a tall man, taller than both her brother and father, with evenly tanned skin and piercing violet eyes that gleamed with interest. Though the majority of his body was hidden from her view, veiled by a long, dark trench coat, Rias' keen gaze still caught the details of a lean, toned form. As he ran a hand through his dark hair, he laughed joyously, his pearly teeth gleaming under the streetlight.

"To think that the Light is so potent, so concentrated, that it can move instinctually, separate from the mind of its wielder!" the man raved stroking his goatee, "Such a wondrous defense mechanism. He truly is a specimen worthy of observation, is he not?"

"Who are you?" Rias scowled, her gaze heated and filled with suspicion. No normal human would react to such a macabre sight in such a manner and she would have been very much aware of any other Devils populating the nearby area—that left two possibilities as to the man's identity and neither seemed particularly pleasing to Rias. She backed away from the stranger, mentally preparing for the possibility of battle, "Why are you here!?"

The man chuckled, "Fear not, little Devil. I haven't come seeking a fight. Rather, I am here in the interest of knowledge."

"This goes well beyond a healthy interest, wouldn't you say?" Rias glared, "Now who are you!?"

He smirked, for once turning his gaze from the corpse before him to look at Rias, "I am the only one capable of saving this boy's life."

"Save his life? Namikaze-san is already dead," Rias gestured to the pawn on the ground, still blocked by the tendril of Light, "Right now, that pawn is his only hope of seeing tomorrow. Reincarnation is the only means of truly reviving the dead…but you already know that, don't you, Fallen-san?"

"My, the heir of House Gremory is certainly observant, isn't she? And quite feisty as well," the stranger laughed, "But I'm afraid you're also quite wrong, Gremory-san. This boy, Namikaze as you call him, is certainly not beyond other means of aid, just as he is certainly not dead yet."

Rias' gaze went from suspicious to bemused, literally in the blink of an eye. She glanced down to Naruto, his unbreathing form, the gaping cavity in his chest, the congealing puddle of his blood that stained the walkway, before switching her focus back to the newcomer, a flat look on her face, "Not dead?"

"…Allow me to rephrase that," the man pointed to the radiance emerging from the blonde, "While the boy's body has indeed died, currently his Light still lives—that Light, though it seems to have developed a certain amount of awareness, is still a part of him. In other words, a small part of that boy still lives. Think of it as the spirit outliving the body—he is certainly beyond the help of the mundane, but I should be more than enough to save his life."

Rias looked back to the Light, "But why is it there at all? From all accounts, Namikaze-san should be nothing but a regular human."

"I have my own suspicions about that…" a twinkle returned to the man's gaze and, once again, he appeared as though he was a child receiving a rare toy, "Well, my own theories aside, you won't be able to get close to him as he is now anyway. That Light of his will attack any foreign body that it senses to be a threat to its existence. Even if you could get the Evil Piece into him, I'm certain that his body would reject it. Sorry to say, Gremory-san, but this is person is incapable of joining your Peerage."

"You expect me to believe the word of a Fallen?" Rias crossed her arms over her considerable chest.

"Not at all—you're free to try, if you wish. By all means, don't hold back," the stranger's smirk widened, "I just wouldn't let that Light touch you. To be able to manifest itself into form without the will of its user, that Light must be incredibly potent. For one weak to holy Light such as you Devils, it is quite a formidable foe. Prolonged physical contact would almost certainly result in the loss of whatever unfortunate body part it happened to touch."

Rias stiffened, her eyes wide as she stared down at the radiant glow. It was waiting, biding its time to see what would happen, ready to attack on a moment's notice. As much as she hated to admit it, the man was correct—it wouldn't let her get close to Naruto, not without a fight at least. If it should come down to a fight, however, her opponent was a subconscious serpent of pure energy and the only thing keeping the boy she wanted to save alive apparently. Even if she wanted to risk attacking it, the damage destroying it could do to Naruto was potentially more harmful than helpful for the delinquent.

For the first time in a long time, Rias Gremory found herself in checkmate.

It wasn't a pleasant experience. She never did like losing—no Devil did—but it always irked her all the more when Rias felt as though she was being looked down up, as though she was being treated as a child. Maybe it was his confident tone or maybe it was the impossibly infuriating smirk that rested on the stranger's face, but Rias could not help but abandon her illusion of tolerance in favor of frustration.

Growling, she turned back to the man, "And you think you can get any closer than I can?"

"I believe so, yes," violet eyes leveled on the Naruto's body once more. He held up his hand, palm facing the skies, and allowed a spark of illumination to form upon it, "This is merely a hypothesis, but I suspect that, while my own Light may not be as holy, it should ward off the boy's natural defenses. It may even prevent triggering his Light's aggression completely."

"A hypothesis?" Rias muttered, "You're risking your well-being on a guess!?"

"Of course I am. It is the very nature of the pursuit of knowledge that necessary risks must be taken and risking myself is a gamble I have taken many times before," he nodded, stepping over to the blonde, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I've allowed myself too many distractions while the boy's life hangs in the balance."

"And let's suppose your hypothesis is correct," Rias argued, moving to stand between the stranger and Naruto, "Are you going to tell me that your intentions for helping Namikaze-san are pure?"

"My intentions? I already told you, Gremory-san, that I am here for the sake of knowledge," he shrugged, "Do my intentions truly matter though? I am, after all, the lad's only hope of survival…or would you have me leave him here to rot, simply because you cannot trust me?"

Rias watched the man move forward, past her and the tendril of Light, flaring a touch of his own power as he did so—the tendril never so much as glanced in his direction, instead opting to ensure that she could not reach her pawn by standing guard on it. Kneeling down, he deftly lifted the blonde, the holy vine retreating into Naruto's body as he did so, and placed his dead form upon his shoulders. Unable to do anything for the delinquent, Rias simply stood there, silent until the stranger turned to leave.

"W-Wait!" she called out, halting the man with her words, "Tell me…is he at least going to be okay?"

The Fallen Angel's smirk bloomed into a grin as he turned back to give her one final look, "I can give the boy his life back, but that is it. Whether or not he will be okay and where he goes from here…well, that depends entirely upon his actions and his alone."

And just like that, he was gone. Rias had blinked and he had vanished, leaving only a few black feathers drifting in the night's breeze. She was alone, standing on the path next to a puddle of blood and a lone pawn piece. She finally retrieved it, sighing as she gripped its oak-carved body in the palm of her hand. Beneath her feet, her own seal appeared, crimson as her hair, crimson as Naruto's blood. Without another word, Rias Gremory vanished as well, leaving the park behind her.

~.~.~

His first breath after death was the most unpleasant sensation Naruto had ever experienced in his life. More intense than the immense pain he had felt when his powers had been awakened, more startling than glancing down and discovering a cavernous pit in his sternum. It felt as though he had awoken underwater, as if he had been slumbering in the briny depths of some dark sea, gasping for fresh air only for a flood to fill his wanting lungs.

For this reason, Naruto's eyes snapped open, wild and alarmed, shortly after his first breath. He coughed and sputtered, attempting to sit up only to find his body held down by a strenuous grip. In the haze of his mind, in the muddled being of having awoken after his own demise, the blonde had almost believed that he had been buried alive. The fear of suffocating in his own grave gripped Naruto's heart, panic hammering away at his senses as he struggled to sit up.

"Oh, you're awake. Well, that's fine, I suppose. The gritty parts of the operation are complete after all."

A calm voice drew Naruto from his hysteria, allowing the blonde to tether himself back to reality. Glancing around, however, he quickly found that, currently, reality wasn't the best place to be in. The room he found himself in was too dark to make out, the corners and walls having sunken into the inky shadows. To make matters worse, a blinding light shined down on him from above, obscuring his vision even further. What he could see, though, only served to worry him further.

Strapped to a metal table by a series of leather bands and garbed only in his boxers, Naruto found himself staring down the very image of a mad scientist, his lab coat and medical gloves dripping with blood to complete the imagery. He stood at the foot of the metallic slab Naruto was trapped on, looking over a small tray of what looked like surgical tools.

The clearly insane man looked at him, smiling cheerfully beneath his surgical mask, "Good morning."

"Holy shit!" Naruto screamed, redoubling his efforts to break free of his bonds_, 'What the hell's going on!? I died, didn't I? I definitely did! Was last night a dream or something!? Why am I here looking like I'm about to lose my damn kidney!?'_

Seeing his patient struggling to free himself, the stranger sighed, "That leather won't break, so spare yourself the trouble. They're strong enough that they could hold down a rampaging elephant."

"Who the fuck are you!?" Naruto growled, ignoring the man's advice and continuing his efforts to get loose, "Where am I and what the hell are you doing to me!?"

"Really now, must you continue to struggle? I already told you the leather won't break. You're in no danger, anyway. I _did _just finish saving your life, after all. It'd all be rather pointless if I was just going to kill you again," the man replied coolly, "If you really must know, my name is Azazel, you are in my home or, more specifically, my lab, and I am about to make it so that the Angels will no longer be able to detect your presence from Heaven."

Naruto ceased his struggling, "You...saved me? So then last night wasn't just a dream?"

"I did and I assure you that your encounter with that Angel was no mere nightmare," the man, Azazel, smirked, "But if you don't believe me, why don't you activate your Light and see for yourself?"

"That's right. My Light…" Naruto craned his neck to stare down at his arms. Silently, he willed the Light to spark to life, to burn as bright it had burnt the night before, and sure enough, it heeded his call. His arms blossomed with blinding illumination, capturing Naruto's wonderment as they did, "Whoa…it never gets old, does it?"

"Certainly not," Azazel hummed in agreement, snatching a small iron ring from his surgical tools.

"Okay, Azazel. I'm Naruto," Naruto drew his gaze from his glowing limbs, turning off his Light as he eyed his supposed savior, "And I still have questions."

"And you will receive the answers to those questions in just a moment," Azazel nodded, moving to stand over Naruto, "But first, I have to make sure you're protected from the Angels or else all my hard work would've been for naught."

Naruto glanced at the ring in Azazel's grasp, "What? Wearing that ring is gonna protect me from them, then?"

"It will," Azazel smiled, "But it isn't worn like a traditional ring."

"Huh? Then how's it wo—gah!" Naruto gasped, breath hitched in his throat as he watched Azazel plunge his ring-bearing hand deep into his chest in one fluid motion. His hand dove into Naruto like his chest was made of water, never breaking the skin and never harming him. The blonde turned as white as a sheet, unable to say a word as he watched Azazel rummage around within his body for a few moments. When Azazel finally removed his hand, the ring was noticeably missing from his possession.

"I have just placed that ring around the superior vena cava of your heart—don't worry, it won't cause any harm to you. It is a signet ring, one with the Seal of Solomon transcribed upon it," Azazel explained, removing his surgical mask and gloves, "While traditionally known for sealing demons, its actual purposes can extended to sealing anything supernatural completely. The one inscribed on that ring is not powerful enough to seal your powers away, of course, but it should at the very least cloak your Light's presence from any savvy eyes."

As Azazel undid the straps that held Naruto down on the table, Naruto continued to stare at his unblemished chest, his eyes wide and horrified, "Don't ever do…_that_…again."

"Of course," Azazel grinned, "Now, why don't we go to the kitchen and discuss things over breakfast? I might as well see if I have anything in your size while I'm at it—we can't have you walking around half-naked all day, now can we?"

Azazel led Naruto out of the dark room and not a moment too soon—the blonde was certain that he glimpsed something slimy slithering around in the shadows of the "lab" and he was certainly not looking forward to being introduced to it. Fifteen minutes and one flight of stairs later, Naruto found himself dressed in a simple pair of dark pants and a white shirt, sitting at a table sipping a cup of coffee. Azazel sat across from him, busying himself by observing Naruto's actions, detailing each and every move the blonde made on a notepad. The blonde didn't really care, being far too relieved to be out of the foreboding laboratory of his rescuer. Compared to it, the simple kitchen he sat in might as well have been a utopia, with warmth and gentleness practically radiating from the walls.

"Is drinking coffee really worth documenting?" Naruto questioned, a flat look falling across his features.

"Of course it is, Naruto-kun. How else will I remember that you take your coffee black? I've never had the chance to observe a Nephilim up-close before and there is no such thing as insignificant knowledge," Azazel muttered, triumphantly dotting the end of his sentence with a period, "But you said you had questions. By all means, ask away."

"Okay," Naruto frowned, setting his mug on the oak before him, "First off, how did you save me?"

"It was simple, really. It would seem that the Throne underestimated your will to live—or, at least, your Light's will to survive. It is what saved you, you know. By outliving your body, it was able to keep your soul intact," Azazel explained briskly, "It was simply a matter of replacing your lost flesh and organs and reattaching the soul your Light protected to the rest of your physical body. Quite a challenge for the less initiated, but it was child's play for one such as me."

"Replacing my flesh?" Naruto grimaced. The image conjuring in his mind was stomach-turning.

"There's no need to fret, Naruto-kun," Azazel's smile was all too cheerful, his voice all too chipper, "The donors won't be missing them. After all, you don't really need the left half of your liver when you…Naruto-kun, are you alright?"

"…Peachy," Naruto mumbled weakly, having slammed his head down against the oaken table. Azazel sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness," Azazel spoke, "I was afraid the coffee was bad."

'…_He saved my life. I shouldn't hate him as much as I do right now,' _Naruto groaned mentally, lifting his head and resting it against his palm, "O-Okay then, moving on. Who are you exactly? And don't say you already told me. I don't want your name; I want to know who you really are."

Azazel paused, humming in thought and clicking his tongue as though he was tasting wine, as though tasting the idea of explaining to Naruto his actual identity. He nodded after a few moments of silent deliberation, more to himself than to Naruto, "Very well. I am the one they call Azazel of Grigori, he who presides over the Fallen Angels."

"Fallen Angels?" Naruto blinked.

"Angels who have fallen from grace," Azazel expanded with a flourished wave of his hand, "Those of us who dare to break the laws set in place by God himself cannot remain as Angels. We are thrown out of Heaven and plummet to earth, our wings cursed and blackened by our sins. In other words, we're the family black sheep to our holy brothers and sisters."

'_Fallen from grace…'_ the blonde had heard the phrase before and its familiarity brought him no comfort. His murderer, the Angel who declared itself as Throne, had uttered it last night, when it was denouncing his father as a traitor, as a manipulator who used Kushina as a shield to avoid punishment. Naruto scowled, "If you're the leader of the Fallen Angels, then can you tell me about one that was called Zadkiel?"

"Zadkiel? That's a name I haven't heard in quite some time," Azazel remarked, running a hand through his hair. He lifted his head to stare off into the distance, to stare off at the ghost of a man that had almost faded from his memory, "Why are you interested?"

It was a good question, one that Naruto didn't have an answer to. Why _was _he so interested? He knew that what the Angel had said last night was most likely true. It had no reason to lie, no obvious earthly or spiritual benefits to gain from deceiving someone who it was seconds away from ending. Wasn't the presence of his Light proof enough that the Angel had been truthful? What good would it do to go searching for an answer he already knew? What could he gain from chasing a story when he already knew its conclusion?

"I just…" Naruto turned his gaze down at his own hands, glaring at them. Azazel watched the boy, eying the blonde as he struggled to bring the words to his lips. As he did, Azazel swiftly jotted down another note. It was a simple observation, an obvious one really, but one that the man was sure that many, including himself, would at times forget in the future—that the Nephilim he had found, the young man he had saved, was still young and an undeniable part of him was still human.

'_It's amazing he's coping as well as he is, being this young and getting thrust into all of this without warning. The fact that he wasn't astounded when I announced that I am the leader of Grigori just shows how little he knows of our world and its politics. The word "Faction" doesn't carry any weight for him, doesn't hold any significant meaning…' _Azazel noted, setting his notes on the table and folding his hands, "Naruto-kun, I have a proposition for you."

Naruto looked to Azazel, but remained silent.

"You seem to be grappling with what happened to you last night. I don't know if you're simply overwhelmed or if you're unable to accept this, but it doesn't matter," Azazel's expression was unreadable, his tone both distant and comforting, "What matters is that you don't need to accept anything if you do not wish to."

Naruto frowned, "What are you saying?"

"I am saying that it is well within my powers to erase your memory of last night's events. With my magic, I can make it so that when you wake up tomorrow, it will be as if none of this ever happened," Azazel explained, "You won't remember your encounter with the Angel and, with the ring still in you, you will likely never meet another one. Without any awareness of your powers, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to use them to their fullest extent. It would be the closest you could ever come to living some semblance of a normal life again."

Naruto thought to shoot down Azazel's proposal immediately, jumping at the chance to reject such an offer. He wasn't so weak that he needed to run away, wasn't so cowardly that he couldn't come to terms with what had happened. The very idea, the mere notion, insulted the blonde and he was more than prepared to voice his discontent. The blonde opened his mouth, ready to give his answer.

His words died before they even reached his lips.

At that moment, it was not Naruto's pride that filled his mind. It wasn't his sense of honor, or courage, or even perseverance. All that stood at the forefront of Naruto's thoughts was the picture that sat on his desk at home, the grinning faces of the four people that stood in that park, and how he could never look at those smiles and feel the same sense of love and comfort. It was the memories of his mother's smile, of his father's laughter, and the despair he felt at knowing those tarnished treasures would never be the same again.

No, now that he knew about his father, there was no way he could picture things in the same light.

'_But…' _Naruto hated the fact that his will was wavering, despised that temptation was gripping him, _'If I were to forget…'_

If he were to forget, it would effectively be as if last night had never happened. He wouldn't know about his powers, he wouldn't remember about the existence of Angels, he wouldn't be aware that he had died, he wouldn't be savvy to the fact that his father had lied to his family and used them as shields against God. His life, his shattered, twisted life, would be restored to what it had been, what it could be again.

"I understand that it's a rather large decision to make," Azazel interjected and stood from the table as Naruto's resolve began to crumble, "Why don't you hurry along to school and give it some thought? You can always come back if you decide you want to take me up on my offer."

Naruto watched, conflicted, as Azazel flipped to a new page in his notepad and began to scribble something down. A few seconds later, he tore the page from the pad and handed the slip of paper to Naruto. Looking down at the paper, Naruto found it to be an address that he vaguely recognized. It was the address to an old, abandoned building that rested on the outskirts of town, notable only for the utterly absurd amount of urban legends and rumors that circulated about its infamous reputation as both an active haunting sight and a past murder scene.

"What's this for?" Naruto muttered, frowning, "Some kind of test of courage?"

"After school, I want you to head over to that address and meet with someone there," Azazel explained, pointing to the paper as he did, "I believe doing so will help you make up your mind."

Naruto stared up at the man, "I don't understand why you're doing all of this for me."

"…I will admit that it would be a shame if you decided to have your memories erased—I would miss out on an astounding research opportunity," Azazel shrugged, stepping over to the table and grabbing Naruto's mug. He placed it in the sink, turning on the water to wash the cup clean, "But, unlike certain peers of mine, I realize the importance of choice. Well, I suppose I should say I was _made_ to realize the importance of choice by a certain person. If they hadn't given me a choice, I wouldn't be standing here today, after all."

Naruto stood from the table and headed for the front door, still disgusted with himself for being unable to reject Azazel's offer. It was an odd conflict within his mind, in which he knew that forgetting would mean betraying everything he had stood by for the past decade of his life—to not give in, to not run away, to not compromise himself. Yet there was a part of him, small but immensely strong, that made it so that he just couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned back to look at Azazel, his hand gripping the doorknob.

Azazel smiled, "Whatever choice you make, I'm certain it will be the right one."

"Yeah…" Naruto gave a thin smile before opening the door and stepping out into the morning light, "Yeah, I am too. Thanks for everything, Azazel."

Azazel waved him off as the blonde shut the door behind him. Now finding himself alone, the Fallen Angel proceeded to grab a clean mug and pour his own cup of coffee. With his beverage in hand, he took a seat at the table and just sat there for the rest of the morning, quietly sipping his coffee while going over old memories, a pained yet reminiscent look upon his face.

'_Zadkiel…I had almost forgotten what you looked like. Even seeing Naruto, who looks so much like you, didn't stir any memories in me until he used your name,' _Azazel sighed, sipping his drink, _'To think that your son would appear before me of all people…'_

It had taken place ages ago and the memory was rightfully hazy, yet the details still shined brightly. Azazel hadn't been the first Angel to fall from God's grace, but he was the first to successfully flee with his life, though just barely. Lightning had rained down upon him from the Heavens and fire and brimstone erupted up at him from the earth. The very boundaries of space and time collided all around his weak, mangled form and the ravaged screams of millions flooded his head relentlessly, never giving him a moment's peace.

God's fury had been boundless when he had taken the guise of a human, when he had cowered under humanity and mingled with them to escape his wrath. The Father's anger only grew when other Fallen Angels began to imitate Azazel's methods of escape. For whom else but Azazel, the cleverest of the Angels, could ever hope to outwit God? Many of the fallen who utilize his ways had praised Azazel's slyness, glorified his cowardice. However, Azazel was no fool, no drunk high on the illusion of his own success. He was well aware that his was borrowed time.

Omnipotence was the Lord's greatest strength—Azazel knew this. He knew he would be discovered eventually and had prepared for the worst. When God's servant had finally come for him, he had anticipated a fight against Michael's infinite strength or Gabriel's unending wisdom. What Azazel had not been expecting, however, was for Zadkiel to stand before him and challenge him to battle.

Zadkiel, the Righteousness of God, the Archangel of Mercy. In his shock, Azazel had let his arrogance get the better of him. He had laughed at Zadkiel's challenge, believing himself to be far superior to what many referred to as the _'Forgotten Archangel._' For what power could one who ruled over mercy hold? What authority could Zadkiel possess in those times of brewing war and conflict? With confidence, Azazel accepted Zadkiel's duel.

It was with utter embarrassment and confusion that he lost. In his hubris, he had forgotten that Zadkiel's speed was praised even by God himself. When Abraham had been mere seconds away from slaying Isaac, it was none other than Zadkiel that God trusted to spirit down from Heaven and intervene. To add to his utter humiliation, Zadkiel displayed in battle a wit and ingenuity that easily matched Azazel's, perhaps even surpassing the Fallen Angel's slyness.

With these two factors in hand, it was only a matter of time before Zadkiel came to stand over the beaten form of Azazel. Azazel had urged the Angel to quicken the final blow, to put an end to the shame he felt. It was when Zadkiel had said nothing in response that Azazel had looked up at him and noticed for the first time that Zadkiel was on the verge of tears, grief and torment wracking his visage. Stunned, Azazel could say nothing as Zadkiel's lips parted and the Angel spoke.

"We are brothers," he had whispered, pained by wounds invisible to the eye, "Why must we fight?"

His words struck Azazel's heart—not "we _were_ brothers," but "we _are_ brothers." There was no judgment in his tone, no sense of superiority to give Azazel the impression that, as a Fallen Angel, he was now beneath Zadkiel. Even after his betrayal, even after his acts of cowardice, even after he had laughed at him, even after they had tried to kill one another, Zadkiel still believed him to be a brother. For the first time since God's mighty strikes had collided with his fleeing form, tears leaked from the corners of Azazel's eyes.

The shame he had felt then had been limitless.

Perhaps Zadkiel's embodiment of mercy overtook him. Maybe Azazel's tears had moved his gentle spirit. Azazel will now never know the reason; it shall haunt him and plague his conscious forever as the one piece of knowledge that is absolutely unobtainable to him. Whether Azazel understands why or not, however, doesn't change the fact that Zadkiel had kneeled down next to his broken body and offered him a choice.

One simple choice.

One not preordained by God, one not bound to the laws of Heaven, but an honest, true, free choice.

"Brother, I give to you a proposition. I have won this battle and your life is now in my hands," Zadkiel's voice was remorseful, as if bemoaning that the battle had not ended in another outcome, "You may stay here and die by my hand or you can flee now and mark this as your final act of cowardice."

Despite his shame, despite himself, Azazel clung to life and chose to flee.

When Zadkiel had received his answer, as if to show his unshaken faith in his brother, he had stood, turned, and remained as still as a statue. His back was proudly on display before Azazel, his guard dropped and his weakness standing before his enemy's eyes. It would have been so easy for Azazel to summon forth a bolt of Light and strike Zadkiel then, so simple for Azazel to claim the Angel's head and victory with it.

Azazel turned and flew away on black wings, leaving Zadkiel standing there untouched.

True to his word, Azazel stopped running from God that day. He gathered his fellow Fallen Angels and founded the third Faction, Grigori. Throughout the entirety of the Great War, there was not a day Azazel fled from the battlefield. His bravery and mettle had raised Grigori's morale from their formation to the very end of the war. It was only when God's body collapsed upon the ground, only when Azazel had seen the eyes of his long-time hunter, seen the pain of a father so disappointed in his son, yet so proud and loving as well, that Azazel turned and left the battlefield.

There were two reasons why Azazel had not rallied his troops and crushed the weakened and leaderless Angels and Devils on that war-torn day. Firstly, there would have been no greater act of cowardice that Azazel could have committed than winning the war after seeing God killed by another's hand, and secondly, there could be no greater insult to the father who had looked at him with such eyes even after being betrayed so thoroughly by an unworthy son.

Azazel would always take comfort in the fact that on that day, despite the deep sadness that weighed upon his soul, he felt no shame.

Finishing his coffee, Azazel hummed in thought, _'I can only hope that I've repaid my debt, Zadkiel. Despite Sirzechs' desperate attempt to save his sister, I have ensured that your son will have a choice. If he is anything like you, brother, I am certain he will make the right one.'_

~.~.~

'_This sucks,' _Naruto decided with a groan, running a hand through his hair as he meandered down the road to school. Shortly after leaving Azazel's home, the blonde had quickly been able to recognize his surroundings and start on the path to his classes at roughly the same time as he normally left for school. He had resolved to push the matter of purposely erasing his memory to the back of his mind for now. After all, he could tackle the decision when he went to the supposedly haunted house after school today and met with whoever Azazel wanted him to meet with. For now, he had other problems that he had to deal with.

'_Like the fact that Sona's gonna scream my ear off for not wearing my uniform,' _Naruto grimaced, glancing down at the clothes he had borrowed while he waited for a crosswalk light to change. It wasn't really his fault that one of his few uniforms got destroyed by an Angel last night, now was it? Sure, he could've ran home to grab a spare, but that would mean walking into his no doubt murderous mother after having not come home at all last night. Naruto paused to consider what that meant for him.

'_Yeah, definitely gonna avoid that disaster in the making,' _Naruto shivered, sweating as he pictured the sheer fury that was waiting for him at home, _'I've been murdered enough times in my life, thank you very much.'_

"Oi, Namikaze!"

'_I've also done this song and dance enough times,' _Naruto turned to glance over his shoulder. Unsurprisingly, he found a group of six or seven young men standing there, with the one who had addressed him standing at the forefront of the posse. He was a good foot or two taller than Naruto and probably a few years older than him as well. Though he shared the blonde's hair color, Naruto was sure that, unlike his own wild hair, the stranger's flattop haircut wasn't naturally blonde. Naruto eyed the gold lettering embroidered onto his fellow blonde's blazer, _'Bad Company.'_

The stranger didn't seem happy to see him, jutting an accusing finger out at the unimpressed blonde, "You're a dead man, Namikaze."

'_Well, I was one, anyway,' _Naruto frowned, "Look, gentlemen, I had a rough night. Can we do this some other time?"

"Believe me, I know all about your nights," the man growled, "Name's Nijimura Keicho of _'Bad Company_._'_ You wanna know who had a real rough night? My brother, Nijimura Okuyasu, when you jumped him and beat the shit out of him a couple days ago, that's who."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Naruto shrugged.

"Is that right?" Keicho reached into his trouser pocket and retrieve a small knife, "Don't worry. I don't think you'll have any trouble remembering his name after I carve it onto your damn face!"

"Well, in that case, might as well take care of some pent-up aggression, right?" cracking his knuckles, Naruto nodded his head to the gang, "Ready when you are, gentlemen."

"I'm gonna slice that smirk off your face, bastard! I'll kill you!" Keicho shouted, flipping the blade of his knife out and charging forward. For whatever reason, Naruto noticed that his crew hung back, not following their boss into the fray. Idly moving his focus from the goons of _'Bad Company' _to their leader, who was quickly approaching striking distance, Naruto readied himself by allowing the faint glow of his Light to overtake his hands. Keicho grinned as he threw his arm back, griping his blade tightly, "Die, you son of a bitch!"

'_I can at least use this to see what this Light of mine can do,' _Naruto brought his Light-charged hand up as the knife was slashed outwards, perfectly poised to carve a line right through his face. He caught the blade, much to Keicho's surprise, squeezing the sharpened edge against his bare palm. The blonde paused, taking advantage of Keicho's shock to take a moment to assess the damage that had been done to his hand.

"Nice knife," even as he gripped the edge of the blade, Naruto felt no pain. The blonde could feel no cut made by the knife; he could see and feel no blood flowing over his fingers from any wound that might have been inflicted upon him. Naruto grinned, _'Okay, it looks like I got a boost to my defense. What about my damage?'_

Naruto pulled his free hand back into a fist, allowing enough Light to flow into it for the glow to become plainly visible.

Keicho eyed all of this in utter confusion, "W-What the fu—gruh!"

Naruto threw his fist forward, slamming it squarely into Keicho's face. As Naruto put his weight behind the blow, he felt the familiar sensation of a nose cracking beneath the might of his fist, saw the blood fly out of his opponent's nostril and the tears pour from his dark eyes. Keicho did not fall back from the force of the attack—he _flew_. Into the air the young man went, sailing down the block, past his stunned comrades.

He finally landed two blocks away, his crumbled form lying still on the sidewalk.

The members of _'Bad Company' _stared at their fallen boss in abject horror, turning to look at a grinning Naruto only when he cleared his throat.

"As you can plainly see, boys, I'm a changed man," Naruto spread his arms, smirking at his trembling foes, "I'm a brand new me, just for you guys. I think this is gonna be the start of a _wonderful_ new relationship between me and all you punks."

Five or ten minutes later, Naruto was dusting himself off, standing at the center of a field of unconscious delinquents. He glanced down at them, spending one last bit of effort to make sure that they were all indeed out cold and would not be chasing him down or bothering him for quite a while. When he was absolutely certain that he wouldn't be bothered by _'Bad Company' _any further, Naruto turned to leave.

"Oh my…"

As he turned to face the road that would take him to school, Naruto found that he was being watched by a familiar beauty. Himejima Akeno was amongst the most beautiful girls in all of Kuoh Academy. Given the amazingly lovely young women that walked its halls, that was quite the feat. There wasn't a male in the entirety of Kuoh that wouldn't have recognized the heavenly girl at first glance. Even Naruto found himself compelled to take a moment to stop and admire his sisterly upperclassman as she stood on the road before him, surveying the carnage that he had just finished creating with an odd twinkle in her eyes.

Considering his reputation and less than friendly disposition, it was rather needless to say that Naruto had never actually talked to Akeno before. He had caught glimpses of her in the halls before, mostly when there were a few cracks in the crowds of adoring fans, both male and female, which seemed to follow her everywhere. He hadn't honestly thought that the day would come, however, that he would actually be meeting with her face to face, with her standing there…clutching a uniform?

'_Weird, but I guess it's none of my business,' _Naruto shrugged, starting down the road. If Akeno was afraid of him, if she was worried or terrified about the fact that he was moving closer to her, she certainly didn't show it—she was too busy staring at the downed delinquents, absolutely transfixed on their bruised and bloody bodies.

"Those guys are gonna wake up eventually," Naruto mentioned as he moved past her, hands roughly shoved into his pockets, "They're gonna be pissed when they do, too. I wouldn't stick around much longer if I were you."

"You can't simply leave them like this."

"Of course I can. They tried to jump me," Naruto shot back, not turning to look at the girl, "Life's short enough, but if they want it to be shorter, who am I to stop them?"

"Ara, ara. No, I didn't mean you shouldn't have hurt them," Akeno's voice took on a breathy undertone, much to Naruto's confusion, "I'm saying you should hurt them _more._"

"…I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you properly," this time, Naruto _did _turn to face Akeno, now slightly fearful of leaving his back turned to her, "I thought you said I should hurt them more."

Akeno shot him an exquisite smile that sent a chill down his spine, her eyes slightly glazed over as she looked at him, "I did say that, Namikaze-san. You must punish them much more thoroughly if you want to get your message across~!"

'…_I have never needed a smoke more than I do right now,' _Naruto was suddenly very, very much aware that there was a much more insidious side to Himejima Akeno that her followers never saw or, at the very least, never noticed. A few moments ago, Akeno had seemed to be just like any other girl at Kuoh—remarkably breath-taking, mind you, but still just a girl. Now, he suddenly was under the grave impression that he was standing before a predator the likes of which he had never seen and never hoped to meet.

'_Shit—she's waiting for an answer,' _Naruto realized when her gleaming eyes tore themselves away from the delinquents and latched themselves onto him, "Uh…w-well, I mean, what would be the point, ya know? They're all knocked out. They wouldn't feel a thing, even if I did bat them around a little longer."

Akeno stared at Naruto silently, causing the young blonde to wonder if he had somehow insulted her with his statement. Shortly afterwards, though, she glanced towards the blue morning sky, humming in thought, "Ara, ara. Yes, I suppose you're right, Namikaze-san…"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, _'Well, at least something's gone my way toda—'_

"Next time, then, you'll have to make sure to punish them more effectively," Akeno smiled cheerfully, "And you will also have to be sure that I am there to see it."

'_Of course,' _Naruto groaned mentally, "Look, I can't exactly promise that you'll be there to…"

Naruto trailed off as he noticed Akeno's sharp violet eyes staring directly into his, her cheerful smile never fading, never faltering. The pair stood there a moment, simply staring at one another. Naruto blinked and looked away. Akeno did not.

"F-Fine, I'll make sure you're there," Naruto relented, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Akeno's face positively bloomed with joy, "Excellent. I'll be looking forward to it, then. In the meantime, please take this, Namikaze-san."

The raven-haired beauty handed Naruto the uniform she was carrying and the blonde realized for the first time that not only was it a male Kuoh Academy uniform, but it was also exactly his size. Naruto shot Akeno a questioning glance, earning a giggle from the young woman, "And this is for…?"

"It's a uniform to wear to class today," Akeno replied, "You can't go around making Sona-chan angry every day, Namikaze-san."

Naruto blinked, "But how did you—"

"A friend thought you might need it and told me to bring one just in case," Akeno interrupted, waving off the blonde's question. Naruto looked unconvinced, but shrugged and accepted the answer for what it was, figuring he wasn't going to be getting a better one out of the girl. Instead, he chose to push the uniform back into her hands.

"These things aren't exactly cheap," Naruto commented as he refused the gift, "Tell your friend to get a refund or something. Anger is the only emotion Sona knows how to express anyway, so why take it away from her?"

"Ara, ara. Really now, Namikaze-san, you should know better than to reject the gift of a young maiden," Akeno shook her head in disappointment, pushing the set of clothes back into the blonde's calloused hands, "If you're that worried about the cost, then simply swing by the Occult Research Club after school today and I'm sure my friend will be more than satisfied."

"If she wants to meet me so bad, she should just talk to me herself," Naruto sighed, seeing that Akeno was adamant on him taking the gift. He took the clothes, tucking them under his arm before turning and continuing down the road, "Fine. If I ever feel like sticking around for the entire school day, I'll stop by."

"Now, now, Namikaze-san, skipping class isn't good for your grades, you know," Akeno's smile widened, "Plus, if you always cut school, you'd never get the chance to come to the Occult Research Club. That won't do at all. Oh, but I'm sure if I told Sona-chan about your hiding spot on the roof, she'd be sure to set you on the right path."

Naruto froze, stiffening as soon as those damnable words left Akeno's lips. Slowly, he wheeled around to face her, his annoyance made clear by the flat stare he was sending to the alluring maiden before him. Her melodious giggle did nothing to lessen his frustrations.

"…What would your fans say if they knew you just blackmailed me?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Ara, ara," Akeno placed a hand to her cheek, her warm smile never faltering under Naruto's gaze, "I'm sure they'd survive. Now come on, Namikaze-san, we have another fun day at school ahead of us."

As if she had no greater goal that morning than to make sure Naruto made it to school, Akeno stuck by his side as they walked down the sidewalk in the direction of Kuoh Academy, humming the tune of an unknown song with every step she took. Naruto chose to ignore most of the odd looks he was receiving by passersby, only growling slightly when he would overhear their whispers about how he must have been blackmailing the poor girl.

'_It's the other way around, dammit! I'm the fucking victim here!' _Naruto wanted to shout at them. Instead, he would just occasionally glance at Akeno from the corner of his eye, watching to see that the happy smile never left her face even once as they strolled down the road, _'Himejima Akeno, huh?'_

~.~.~

"Hellish" didn't even begin to describe it. He was sure that there were no fitting words he could find in the dictionary to accurately illustrate it. It was as if Satan himself had reached up to snatch him away to the deepest bowels of Hell to be tortured for Old Scratch's amusement, as though he had been dropped into a fresh purgatory, all alone with nothing to do but wait for eternity to one day pass. He could spend that eternity listing the countless acts and deeds he'd rather be doing at the moment, with scratching his own eyes out to alleviate the numbing boredom ranking rather high on the archive. For this was not simply torture, this was no mere unbearable pain being whipped across his shoulders—this was a transgression against all of humanity, a pox eclipsing every sin mankind has proved itself capable of.

This was a seven hour school day.

The bell had rung—a magnificent, harmonious resonance in the blonde's humbled opinion—only twenty minutes ago, signifying his release from the nightmare that was concentrated boredom. He was currently wandering the halls, thousand-yard stare in his eyes as he searched for any clue as to where the Occult Research Club met.

'_How am I even supposed to find this chick?' _Naruto questioned. He'd waited for about ten to fifteen minutes in his classroom once school had let out, thinking that Akeno or someone from the Occult Research Club would come by and show him where they met for activities. When no one had shown up and when he had gotten tired of the stares of his classmates, who were both amazed and horrified that he had lasted an entire day, he had stood and left to go looking for the club himself.

'_As if today hasn't been annoying enough,' _Naruto scowled, _'First I get that lovely wake-up call from Azazel, then I get blackmailed into staying in this hellhole for a whole day, and next thing I know, Hyoudou is shoving the fact that he got a girlfriend down my throat and I have to stay here even longer just to find this fucking place. Seriously, what's up with my luck these past few days?'_

"Ah, Naruto-san!"

"Hm?" Naruto turned to find Kiba approaching him with a small smile on his face, relief evident in his eyes, "Oh, Kiba. What's up? You look tired."

Kiba laughed weakly, brushing off Naruto's concerns, "It's nothing, really. I just finished confirming a few things with my club about tonight. Anyway, I'm glad I ran into you—I'm supposed to take you to the Occult Research Club."

Naruto blinked, "Wait, _you're _in the Occult Research Club?"

"You didn't know? I could've sworn I mentioned it before," Kiba shrugged, "Anyway, we should go—our club president is very eager to meet you, Naruto-san."

"I don't know why," Naruto snorted, but didn't resist as he followed Kiba over to the stairwell, "I'm not going to be joining any clubs. I'm going to pop in, thank her for the uniform, and then I'm out. I've been here long enough."

Kiba just chuckled, "Don't be so quick to judge, Naruto-san. I think you'll find that there isn't a club quite like ours anywhere else in the whole school."

Kiba led Naruto down the stairs and out the front door of the main building, much to Naruto's confusion. With the changing of Kuoh Academy from a single-sex education to a co-ed school, a new school building had been erected to replace the old one, adding more classrooms, more clubrooms, and just more space in general to hold the flood of new students that would be pouring in. Naruto knew for a fact that all of the clubs in Kuoh either met in the new school building or out at the many gym facilities for their activities.

'_So why are we going into the old school building?' _Naruto frowned, "Oi, Kiba, just where is this place?"

"Oh, it's not too much further," Kiba replied as they neared a dusty stairwell, "Sorry about all this—our president enjoys her privacy."

"I can see that…" Naruto sighed, moving up the stairs after his fellow blonde, "But I didn't think that anyone was allowed to use this building anymore."

"We got special permission," Kiba explained with a knowing smile, "You'd be surprised at the connections our club has."

He probably would. Naruto was surprised enough that Yuuto Kiba had actually joined a club. He would think that any club the young man joined would've been absolutely swarmed by every female in the school like a pack of hyenas fighting over a piece of meat, all of them just jumping at the chance to join and spend time with their crush-turned-obsession. How in the world did they manage to keep this under wraps?

"Well, we're here," Kiba announced, coming to a stop right outside the first door on the second floor. He opened the door, swinging it outward and using his free hand to gesture Naruto into the room ahead of him. Naruto fixed Kiba a wary stare, one that the handsome youth replied to with a disarming smile. Without another word, Naruto stalked into the room, stopping only a few steps inward to observe it as Kiba entered and shut the door behind him.

It was dark, too dark to really make out anything that wasn't caught in the few rays of sun that managed to pierce through the curtains that attempted to smother every window in the room. As his eyes adjusted to the blackness of the shadows, Naruto slowly began to make out certain details of the room.

The first thing he noticed and undoubtedly the oddest object in the room was the presence of a shower and tub in the far corner. Coming in a close second was the fireplace that jutted out of the left wall, making Naruto wonder just how the thing was hooked up to the school's gas and when it was installed. Just a few feet away from the hearth, however, was a small oaken coffee table, atop which rested a plate of chocolate cookies. Clustered around that table was a group of couches and chairs, upon which sat a familiar face, her hand extended to snatch a cookie from the plate.

It was the same snow-white haired girl from yesterday, the one who had sat up on the roof with him and told him off for smoking.

She drew her amber eyes to him as he entered, meeting his blue with a nod of acknowledgement. Naruto returned the gesture with a nod of his own, masking his surprise at running into the girl here of all places. The rather stiff greeting the pair exchanged drew a giggle from further back in the room.

"My, my, they're actually quite alike, aren't they?" Akeno hummed. In her hands she held a tray holding several cups and a steaming teapot. Expertly balancing the tray on one hand, the raven-haired beauty deftly grabbed a cup and placed it on the spacious wooden desktop next to her before grasping the teapot and pouring a steady stream of warm tea into the teacup. A hand, both delicate and feminine, reached out to seize the drink.

"In certain aspects, I suppose," the young woman behind the desk spoke, "Greetings, Namikaze-san. I take it the uniform proved useful?"

Rias Gremory.

The only girl in the entire school and likely the entire city thought to be even more stunningly gorgeous than Akeno. If Akeno had a crowd following her daily, than Rias had a mob that practically hounded her every second they could. She had all the makings of a foreign belle—captivating and flawless pale skin, a curvaceous and luscious body, and striking red hair and pale blue eyes. On top of being a vision of allure and grace, she also had a rare intelligence matched only by her charm and poise and continued to rank at the very top of the student body with flawless exam scores.

In short, she was the girl that every girl in Kuoh Academy wanted to be and the girl that every guy in school wanted to be with.

'_So Gremory is the president of the Occult Research Club? Huh. Strange hobby for a girl like her,' _Naruto met her gaze, "Do I even want to know how you got my measurements?"

"Some things are best left to the imagination," Rias teasingly stated with a smirk, gesturing to the couch, "Please, have a seat."

"I'll stand," Naruto replied immediately, "I just came by to thank you for the uniform. I don't have the money to pay you for it, so if you want it back, I'll wash and return it tomorrow. That's all I have to say, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now."

Naruto pivoted on his heel, already reaching for where he knew where the doorknob would be, only to find Kiba standing in his way, blocking the only exit. Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow at his friend, only to receive an apologetic smile in return. His questioning look turned to a glare of betrayal when Naruto heard Rias call out to him.

"Actually, Namikaze-san, there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you, if you wouldn't mind," Rias smiled, "It won't take long. If you stay, I won't even ask for anything in return for the uniform."

"I have places to be," Naruto growled, "Move, Kiba."

Again, Kiba smiled apologetically, "Sorry, Naruto-san, but it is in your best interest to hear Buchou out."

"_I'll _be the one to decide what's best for me," Naruto muttered, "Kiba, we're friends, but if you don't move now, I swear I'll—"

"Please refrain from threatening members of my club in front of me, Namikaze-san," Rias spoke up again, her tone taking on a dangerous tint, "He is acting both under my orders and out of concern for your wellbeing. It's not every day a friend dies only to be up and walking about the next day, after all."

The look of shame that flashed across Kiba's face was matched by the startled look of surprise that danced across Naruto's. The blonde delinquent whipped around, fury and suspicion filling his glare as he all but snarled at Rias, "And how the hell do you know about that!?"

"Please calm down, Namikaze-san," Rias' tone was now soothing, her pacifying eyes staring back at him, "I am more than willing to explain everything to you, but you must understand that something happened last night that we have never seen before. We don't know what to make of it and, like you, we want answers. There is no reason we can't cooperate and no reason that we have to be enemies. Now, please have a seat—I'll make this as painless as possible, I assure you."

Naruto paused to consider his options, squashing any sensation of indignation that may have clouded his judgment with a single deep breath. He could still easily just turn around and leave—an entire gang of young adults wasn't enough to hold him back, so Yuuto Kiba of all people wasn't going to be keeping him from any door he really wanted to get to. Of course, if he chose that option, he wouldn't get any answers as to how this club knew about the Angels and, presumably, Fallen Angels.

"…I'll stand," Naruto repeated with a reluctant grunt.

"Very well then," if Rias was perturbed by his anger, she certainly didn't show it, "Since we are the ones keeping you here, I suppose it's only fair that you receive your answers first. Although I'm sure you are already aware, there are certain beings in this world whose abilities go beyond the norm as far ordinary humans are concerned. For the most part, they belong to one of three races: Devil, Fallen Angel, and—"

"Angel," Naruto finished. Rias nodded, apparently not the least bit annoyed at having been interrupted.

"Correct. I believe you have already had your first encounters with both the Angels and the Fallen Angels," Rias casually spoke, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "Then I hope we leave a good first impression as the first Devils you've ever met, Namikaze-san."

As she said those words, a pair of batwings, dark as the night's sky, unfolded themselves. Everyone in the room—everyone but Naruto, that is—was sporting a pair on their backs, looking at him to gauge his reaction to the sudden revelation. Just to be certain, Naruto tossed a glance over his shoulder to find that Kiba was indeed displaying his own pair of wings. Looking back to Rias, Naruto just shrugged, "Well, you haven't shot me yet, so I guess I like you guys better than the Angels. If you really want to make a good first impression, though, I would recommend not trying to keep me here against my will."

Rias blinked, "You…You aren't surprised?"

Naruto gave a flat stare, "Lady, in the past twenty-four hours, I have been arrested, killed by an Angel, and operated on by a mad scientist. Is it weird to find out my only friend in this place is also literally the spawn of Satan? Yeah, a bit, but I'm far past the point of caring, to be honest."

Facing Rias, Naruto really couldn't tell that Kiba's stare was trained on his back. The handsome young man's eyes were wide with shock, his mind stunned into submission by Naruto's casual dismissal of his status as a Devil. In truth, he had always wondered how Naruto would react to learning that the Yuuto Kiba he knew was actually a Devil masquerading as a regular human student. He had expected the delinquent to be angry at the very least, perhaps even saddened that he hadn't been informed of this earlier.

To just nonchalantly brush the announcement aside, however…Kiba had to chuckle—now, looking back, he honestly wasn't sure why he was expecting anything different from his friend, _'Only you, Naruto-san, could treat something as large as this like it was nothing at all.'_

Rias joined him in his laugher, releasing a quiet giggle, "I see. Well, in any case, these three species, by their very nature, stood in disagreement with each other ever since their first encounters. This eventually led to the formation of the Three Great Factions—a series of organized militia, each composed of thousands upon thousands of their own members and led by their strongest. The Three Factions launched a series of battles and skirmishes that raged for centuries, only ending a few generations ago with one climatic final battle, in which the leaders of the Devils, the Four Maou, were slain by the biblical God. This is what we of the three species refer to as the Great War."

"So you Devils lost?" Naruto raised a brow. Rias shook her head.

"If we'd had lost, they would have left none of us alive. No, despite losing our leaders, the Devils had managed to inflict just as much damage upon the Angels and Fall Angels, in both casualties and morale. In the end, all of the Factions were too weakened to continue fighting and the war came to end in a stalemate. We've enjoyed a ceasefire since then, but tensions have always been rather high."

"And you're concerned about why an Angel was here last night, is that it?" Naruto frowned, "Afraid that it might be up to no good?"

"Not in so many words, but that is the gist of why we called you here," Rias smiled, "There is also another reason, however."

"And that reason would be?" Naruto watched in mild bemusement as Rias opened a drawer at her desk. Reaching into the desk, she retrieved a small oaken chess piece—a pawn, Naruto noted—and placed it on the top of the desk for the blonde to see. For whatever reason, Naruto despised just looking at the chess piece. It was as if it was mocking him with its mere presence, as though a certain part of him considered the pawn an insult to his very existence. He averted his eyes, instead opting to match gazes with Rias, "A game of chess? I'll be honest, I don't really play."

"No, I am not asking you to play chess with me, Namikaze-san, though I would be more than happy to play you if you wish," Rias gestured to the pawn, "As I said, all three Factions were ravaged quite badly at the end of the war. In order to regrow our numbers, we Devils developed what we call the Rating Game system and the Evil Pieces. Using Evil Pieces like this pawn, Devils are able to form what are called Peerages by converting other beings into Devils. With a Peerage under their command, any Devil can participate in the Rating Games and earn honor and prestige by triumphing over other Devils' Peerages."

Unbeknownst to Naruto, Rias was taking a rather large gamble. After last night, she had no idea if Naruto even _could _be reincarnated into a Devil, much less what explosive effects might occur from trying to mold an Evil Piece into his body. If she wanted that powerful, conscious Light on her side in time for her planned match against Riser Phenex, however, this was Rias' only chance. Despite how the Light had reacted to the pawn piece before, perhaps now that its wielder was conscious and able to make his own choices it would be a bit more agreeable.

"So, is that what the Occult Research Club is then? Just a front for your Peerage?" Naruto questioned, shoving his hands into his pockets. He reached for where his lighter and cigarettes would've normally been, only to grasp air, _'Damn. Forgot these weren't my usual pants.'_

"You catch on quickly," Rias complimented, smiling approvingly, "Yes, the members of the Occult Research Club are my Peerage."

"I was wondering why I never heard of this club," Naruto sighed, severely wishing he had remembered to grab his cigarettes from his other pants before leaving Azazel's home, "After all, between you, Akeno, and Kiba, I'd have thought your respective fan clubs would've poured in by the dozens. Hell, more than half the school would probably want to join."

Rias giggled, "Yes, well, we are rather selective of our members—a Devil can only have so many Peerage members, so one must be sure to choose those with good potential. That's why I'd like to offer you a spot on my Peerage, Namikaze-san. There are certain benefits to being a Devil that you may be interested in, including a longer life and a healthier body as well as the opportunity to amass wealth and status relatively quickly."

Naruto hummed quietly, "I suppose my awakening to my Light the other day has nothing to do with this?"

The blonde smirked when he noticed Rias flinch—not only had he hit the nail on the head, apparently, but he had also finally gotten through that calm and collected exterior of hers. Rias coughed into her hand, quickly regaining her composure, "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't what drew my recent interest in having you join us, but in truth, I have been keeping an eye on you for a while, Namikaze-san."

"Hand-picked by Rias-senpai herself—I guess I should be honored," Naruto snorted, "I refuse."

The atmosphere changed in the room. The snow-haired girl, who until now was far more focused on her cookies than the conversation, stopped eating in favor of glancing between the tensing form of Rias and the defiant Naruto. Akeno, though remaining silent, felt her ever-present smile become just a bit more strained as he casually rejected Rias' offer. Naruto felt a hand grip his shoulder and turned to find Kiba staring at him, concern evident in his eyes.

"Hold on a second, Naruto-san," Kiba spoke, "Being reincarnated into a Devil will place you under Rias' protection! Once that Angel finds out that you are still alive, it will come back to finish the job! I don't know why it wants to kill you, but it won't risk rekindling the war to do it—the only way it won't touch you is if you join a Peerage!"

"You got a smoke, Kiba?" Naruto questioned in response.

"I…what?" Kiba blinked, staring at his friend as if he was insane. Naruto seemed nonplused with the knowledge that his killer would be returning to hunt him down, that he could very well die again any day now. Frustration began to set in for Kiba, fueled by Naruto's apparent ignorance at just how much danger the delinquent was in, "Stop joking around, Naruto-san! You could seriously die! Don't you understand that!?"

"So that's a negative then? Damn," Naruto shrugged before thumping his fist against his chest, directly over his heart, "I don't have to worry about anymore Angels, understand? I'm fine."

"What?" Kiba shook the blonde's shoulder, trying to emphasize his words, "Don't have to worry anymore!? You died! What you think is going to happen when—"

"Kiba."

The distraught youth turned to his master. Rias' visage was as stony as they came; eying Naruto as though she had some reason to completely reassess the delinquent.

"Namikaze-san has made his choice," Rias spoke with finality laced within her words, "If he has reason to believe that he won't be targeted again, we are inclined to believe him."

Kiba could do little else then shoot his friend a pleading look as he reluctantly let go of the delinquent. It was as he did so that Rias immediately noticed Kiba's mistake, one that Naruto was about to take advantage of—the Knight had stepped away from the door to reason with his fellow blonde. There was currently no one guarding the door, no one stopping Naruto from just walking out right now. Before she could open her mouth, Naruto was already gripping the doorknob, smirking at her as he did so.

"Well, I got my answers," Naruto announced, "It's been fun, but like I said, I have places to go, people to meet—I'm sure you understand."

"Wait!" Rias stood from her desk, reaching a hand out to the blonde, "I have questions of my own!"

"Yeah, about that, Princess," Naruto stepped through the door, waving his middle finger over his shoulder as he left, "I got mine."

The door closed behind him, leaving the room in silence. Rias sighed, slumping dejectedly back in her chair as she massaged her temples. Besides her, Akeno hummed in thought and while Kiba began to apologize profusely, both for leaving the door unattended and for his friend's less than polite behavior, Koneko muttered a quiet, "That didn't go well…"

"Ara, ara," Akeno murmured, bringing a hand to her cheek. Having been friends with the girl for years, Akeno was able to see the faults in whom many considered to be a flawless maiden. As gracious, generous, and loving as she was, Rias was still a very privileged and extremely beloved young girl. The redhead simply wasn't used to being rejected, to not having things go her way. She wasn't spoilt by any means, but she could be impatient at times, particularly when a crucial juncture was occurring. She had a very powerful personality, so rather than bide her time, she tended to push forward. Unfortunately for her, she had pushed forward into Namikaze Naruto, someone who also possessed a strong personality.

The end results of their meeting might as well have been destined.

"What a day…" Rias groaned at her desk.

"Should we go after Namikaze-san?" Akeno questioned, eying her mentally exhausted friend. Rias shook her head.

"We'll put Namikaze-san and his mysterious powers on the backburner for now—convincing him will have to be an objective for another day. Besides, any attempt to go after him now would just create a bigger rift between us," Rias replied, "Right now, we have to put our focus on tonight. The Fallen Angels are making their move on Hyoudou-san and that has to be our top priority."

Rias snatched the pawn from her desk, allowing her gaze to linger on its oak-carved form. Finally, she opened the drawer and put her Evil Piece in its proper spot. Closing it and refocusing her mind, she allowed the thoughts of a particularly rude blonde delinquent to fade from her mind.

~.~.~

It certainly looked like it would be haunted. Laid against the cloudy night sky, the two-story home looked like it was cut straight from the most cliché horror movie that theaters had to offer. The dark paint that covered the outside was peeling off, like skin falling from a decomposing corpse, with dirt and spiders making their homes in the splintered and rotten wood. The blonde couldn't see a single window that wasn't cracked or just flat out broken, dust obscuring the jagged shards of glass that remained. Graffiti was scattered across the walls, screaming warnings at him and cursing his name.

"Well, this is it, I guess," Naruto eyed the building before him, checking the address Azazel had given him one last time to be sure. With a reluctant sigh, Naruto made his way up to the weathered door, "Figures it has to be here of all places. I hate all this supernatural crap."

Seeing as the house was obviously abandoned, Naruto didn't bother with knocking and just walked through the unlocked door. The door was in such poor condition that Naruto was sure that any attempt he made at knocking on it would've knocked it down anyway. The moment he walked through the door, his nose was immediately assaulted by the foulest smell Naruto had ever had the displeasure of experience.

'_Gah! What the fuck is that!?'_ Naruto gagged, clenching his nose, _'Smells like something crawled in here and died!'_

Glancing left and right, the blonde searched for possible sources of the horrible stench. The inside of the house wasn't in any better quality than the outside. Piles of trash were strewn about the hallways, as was even more crude graffiti. Floorboards had given way to rot and the drywall had collapsed in certain areas of the wall, revealing rusted and leaking pipes and a colony of rat nests. Despite his better judgment, Naruto moved inward.

"Hello?" Naruto called out, grimacing as he lowered his hand and attempted to ignore the rotten odor, "I'm, uh…I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. You there?"

Silence.

Naruto scowled, "Damn it. They didn't already leave, did they?"

"_Upstairs_…"

Naruto turned to glance in the direction of the stairs as a voice drifted down the steps, carried on a slight breeze running through the drafty home. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that he apparently hadn't missed his mysterious contact or thoroughly creeped out at just how much this was starting to seem like a scene ripped straight from a ghost story.

"_Upstairs_…"

As faint as a spirit and as cool as the wind, the voice called for him again.

"I get it, I get it," Naruto grumbled, starting up the creaky stairs, "Can't you say it in a way that's less absolutely horrifying?"

The blonde was honestly shocked that the rotting steps managed to support his weight as he climbed them. Reaching the top, he found himself facing a long hallway, a series of doorways spanning either side of the corridor. As if sensing his presence, the voice spoke up again.

"_Last door_…_on the left_…"

'_Azazel said he's the one who revived me, so he wouldn't bother trying to kill me. He said this person would help me reach a decision. I shouldn't have anything to worry about,' _Naruto frowned, glaring into the darkness of the hallway as he moved down it, _'So why am I getting a really bad feeling about all this?'_

Still, this did not dissuade the blonde from moving further and further down the hall, eyes burning as he did so—the foul stench was only growing stronger and stronger the further he moved within the home. It was only when he was just a few steps from the farthest door on the left that the reek became too overpowering, and Naruto was forced to halt.

"_Closer_…"

Naruto gasped, his lungs begging for fresh, clean air, "How the hell aren't you bothered by this smell at all!?"

"_Come closer_..."

"I have a better idea," Naruto growled, "How about you move your lazy ass outside so we can talk like normal people!?"

"_Come closer_!"

In the past twenty-four hours, Naruto had been arrested. He'd had his entire childhood shattered when his father, the man he idolized above all others, was revealed to be nothing more than a traitor and a liar. Immediately afterwards, he'd been killed. He'd awoken in an unknown location, being held down by an unknown man that had his hand in his chest before that man dropped the most pressure the blonde had ever felt upon his shoulders. He'd then been attacked and dragged to school to sit through the most boring seven hours of his life. Following that, he'd been forced into a conversation more or less against his will by a group of Devils that expected him to join them.

To say Naruto's patience had worn thin was a vast understatement.

"_Fucking make me_!" Naruto roared back, frustration gripping his form. A hushed quiet fell upon the house, with Naruto awaiting a response from its other occupant. As the blonde listened carefully, he could hear the heavy shuffling of footsteps in the room beside him, the telltale rugged sounds of something dragging along the floor as the steps sounded. Then, without any warning, the sounds stopped.

"_Very well._"

A dark form flew out of the doorway, causing Naruto to jump back in alarm. The figure slammed flush against the wall before dropping down the filthy floor where it rested, still as a statue, without so much as a twitch. The maddening smell was back again, full-force and absolutely unbearable as Naruto stared at the figure with wide, horrified eyes.

What had come hurdling out of the darkness of the doorway were the dismembered remains of a torso. It was falling apart at the seams, rotten flesh straining to hang onto decaying and peeling skin. Oozing muscles could be seen beneath the flayed skin, maggots and insects crawling and curling over each other as they fled, terrified that the carcass they inhabited had been shook about. They turned and dug deeper into the corpse, burrowing away into the gouged flesh and deep bite marks that littered its form.

Naruto's stomach twisted and turned as he stared at it, his complexion growing pale. It was all he could do not to vomit at the sight. He did not have to stare at the horror long, however, for it was only seconds later that a new terror came for him. She stomped through the doorway, giant form only barely squeezing through the wooden frame.

Naruto found himself face to face with a living paradox. Her upper body was that of an entrancing young woman, her chest bountiful and her form curvaceous. Hers was a long, flaxen hair that shined as brilliantly as gold, as though woven by the Gods themselves. Her dark eyes, large and enticing, stared at him, her full lips peeling back into a smirk, revealing pearly teeth, as delicate as her soft, heart-shaped face.

Her lower half, however, seemed to belong to a completely different being all together. It was the body of a large, dark lioness, dried blood and bits of flesh staining and clumping the black fur of the beast. The upper body—that of the beautiful woman—was attached to the beast's body at the neck of the lion-like form, connecting the her softest features with the powerful sets of forepaws and hind legs. Despite the clearly muscled arms and legs of the beast, the monster's torso still revealed its bony ribcage hiding just beneath the fur, as though she had been starved and stood on the brink of death. Behind her, a snake churned in the air in place of a tail, hissing out the soft, quiet voice that he had heard coming up the stairs.

"W-What the fuck are you!?" Naruto shouted out, taken aback by the thing in front of him.

"It's been quite some time since prey has wandered into my domain without my luring them here. Such a delicious scent as well," the woman spoke lustfully, voice brimming with malicious intent, "I suppose that at the very least I can tell you my name, as thanks for presenting me with such an easy meal. I am Viser, a Devil."

Naruto grit his teeth as he heard her speak of him as dinner, backing up a few steps, "You sure as hell don't look like any Devil I've seen."

Seeing his discomfort, Viser smirked and stepped forward, "I've taken on this beautiful form through my meals. You'd be surprised at the power human blood can grant a Devil…"

"Beautiful? Lady, you've got one fucked up definition of beauty," Naruto muttered, calling forth his Light. Viser eyed his arms, curiosity mixed with the arrogance that shone in her eyes.

"Oh? You seem to actually have some power, don't you?" Viser chuckled, "No matter. The thrill of the fight always makes the meat taste all the more succulent."

"Okay, that's it. Lady, I was gonna cut you some slack, on account of how life kinda screwed you in the looks department," Naruto slammed his knuckles together, sparks of Light shooting off them in the motion, "But now you're just plain pissing me off and creeping me out."

Naruto moved to step forward, packing as much Light as he could in his left hand, only to find himself halted. Stumbling in surprise at his immobility, Naruto glanced down at his ankle to find that the serpent that was his opponent's tail had extended, slithered over to him and wrapped itself around his leg without his notice. It now had him in a crushing grip, unable to escape as the thunderous footsteps of Viser's lower body rapidly fell upon him. Quickly looking to his foe, he found that, on her human hands, her crimson nails had extended nine inches, gleaming like daggers in the dark.

"Son of a—grah!" Naruto cursed as the Devil raked her nails across the right side of his face, cutting into his cheek with her dagger-like knives and leaving three fresh, bleeding cuts in her wake.

Viser laughed, howling in pleasure at the blonde's pain as she swung her other hand down at the young delinquent. Bringing his hand up to block her attack at the wrist, Naruto pulled back his free hand, ready to throw his fist forward and strike the monster. Before he could land his blow, however, Viser raised up on her hind legs, jabbing out at his chest with her two front paws. Naruto cringed as he felt the two powerful strikes hit his chest, launching him backwards down the hallway.

He came to a crashing stop on the floor, moaning in pain as the rotting wood cracked under the force of his fall, _'Damn. Even with my powers, that really fucking hurt…'_

"Yes, yes, yes!" Viser cried out in ecstasy, running her hands over her body as she stared at her prey, "Feel more and more pain! Let me see you flinch and scream!"

'_I can't fight her here—it's too narrow,' _pushing himself up, he glared at his opponent, _'I've got to get her outside or at least somewhere I can maneuver around her and that damn snake of hers.'_

Turning, Naruto made a break for the staircase, confident that he could outrun the bloodthirsty behemoth behind him. At least, he _was_ confident until something long and white sailed by his ear and embedded itself into the wall. The blonde, shaken but not deterred, kept running, only shooting the projectile a sideways glance as he passed by it—a javelin. Viser laughed.

"You think you can escape me, boy!?" she cackled as a rib pushed itself out from her monstrous form. Grasping it, she tugged it free from her body, making a make-shift javelin of bone from her straightened rib, identical to the one she had just thrown, "You are in _my _domain! _No one_ escapes me!"

Naruto ducked down the stairs, just in time to avoid another bone that was set to pierce the back of his head. Scrambling down the steps, he swiftly made it to the front door, his hand reaching for the knob as the house shook under the weight of Viser's footsteps. Naruto turned the brass sphere, roughly shoving on the door.

It didn't budge.

'_C'mon, c'mon!' _Naruto growled as he continued to turn the knob to no avail, _'Open, you piece of shit!'_

Frustration overtaking him, Naruto attempted to kick the door down, slamming into it with as much force as he could. The door didn't even shake in the slightest. Naruto stared at it in abject confusion. It had been falling apart when he had first entered, barely hanging onto its own hinges. That had been maybe ten minutes ago and now it was holding steadfast, as though it was reinforced with steel.

A javelin lodged itself in Naruto's shoulder without warning, earning a scream from the youth as pain flooded over him. Grasping it, Naruto turned to glare up at Viser, who stood at the top of the stairs, leering down at her prey with mocking eyes.

"I already told you, fool," Viser licked her lips, "This is _my_ domain—all the doors and windows are being sealed by my magic. No one leaves here without _my _permission."

"Sorry if I don't feel like sticking around," Naruto muttered, wrenching the bone from his body, "But you're not exactly the prettiest girl I've ever seen and you're way too clingy for my tastes."

Viser grinned sinisterly, "You're trying to hide your fear from me, talking as though you have nothing to worry about. I can see right through you—you're afraid. Afraid of fighting me, afraid of dying and becoming my next meal! I can practically feel the fear dripping off you and it smells absolutely delicious!"

"…Crazy bitch," Naruto growled out.

He couldn't deny that what she said was more true than false, however. As long as he was trapped in this house, he had no way of getting around her to her more vulnerable sides. He was forced to face her head on, in territory that she knew like the back of her hand, territory that she apparently held some degree of control over. He had the disadvantage and he seriously doubted he'd be getting a third chance at life if Viser got him into her gullet.

His plan had been to get her outside, to lure her to an open space where he could outmaneuver her giant form. With that plan gone, there was only one course of action that the blonde could foresee. Taking hold of the javelin that had stabbed into his shoulder, he threw it with all his might up at Viser. The Devil wasn't caught off guard—she reached out and smacked the weapon away with one mighty swing of her paws.

"Ha!" she laughed, "Did you honestly think I would be slain by my own…"

Viser trailed off as she realized she was no longer talking to anyone. Naruto was gone. When her gaze had switched focus from him to the bone he had thrown at her, he had taken the opportunity to do the only thing he could think of—he ran, leaving a trail of blood in his hurry. Further inside of the house, in a small and half-demolished kitchen, Naruto heard the frustrated shriek of his attacker.

'_She's noticed I'm gone. I've only got a couple seconds to figure something out,' _he quickly glanced around the room, searching for anything he could use to his advantage. All that was in the room were empty cupboards and cabinets, all hanging open to reveal their empty contents, and the destroyed and splintered remains of a table and a few chairs.

"**You won't escape me, boy!"**

Naruto cursed as he heard her scream, heard her footsteps charging down the hallway and drawing ever closer. With nothing else coming to mind, the blonde made a last-ditch effort at hiding, quickly running for the pantry door and stowing away inside. Viser came running into the room only moments later.

"Where are you!?" Viser growled, furious that her prey had slipped away. She glanced down at the trail of blood that she had followed, fresh from the wound she had inflicted upon the boy's shoulder. Following it with her eyes, she found that it ended at the pantry. Vise gave a wide, victorious smirk, "Hiding will do you no good, coward. Now…**die**!"

Reaching out and grabbing the knob, Viser viciously tore the door from its hinges, tossing it aside. Licking her lips in anticipation, she peered into the dark room.

She found no one inside—it was completely empty.

"What!?" Viser screamed, glancing about the small pantry wildly. No matter how hard she looked, however, she could find no sign of the blonde aside from the blood he had left behind. What she found instead, however, had frustration and outrage boiling within her mind. At the back of the pantry rested a rather large hole in the wall, with more than enough space for a human being to escape through. Reaching her hand through, Viser also found that the space between the walls was indeed thick enough for a person to slide along as well.

Naruto had escaped her, he was hiding _within _the walls of the home, and, in the time it had taken her to realize this, he could've potentially slid to any number of locations that the wall reached. Viser howled in rage, moving out of the pantry and pulling another javelin from her ribcage. She began to wildly and ferociously stab it into the walls, hoping to randomly pierce her prey, **"Show yourself, you pathetic fool! Come out and face me!"**

Meanwhile, Naruto continued to slide along the narrow pathway within the wall that was typically reserved for plumbing and insulation, _'I guess I should feel lucky that most of that has fallen apart like the rest of this shitty place.'_

Once he was in a relatively far location, the blonde stopped to catch his breath and consider his next move. He could hear her attacking the walls and howling her curses at him—it was only a matter of time before she either got lucky and found him or brought the entire room down around them.

'_This blows,' _Naruto groaned mentally, _'I've got nothing. I can't get close to her and I can't get out of here…shit!'_

With the Angel, things had been different. Naruto hadn't had time to truly feel fear, to truly ponder his situation—his complete and utter shock at what was occurring had morphed into outrage at what it had said about his father. Then, before he knew it, it was over and he was on the ground, dying without any pain. This was a completely different situation all together. He hadn't had the chance to truly feel fear.

"**Stop hiding, coward!"**

This time, Naruto knew of the paranormal—the shock, while still there after seeing Viser's introduction, had worn off quickly. In biding his time and escaping, he also had ample time to realize the hopelessness of his predicament. He had time to contemplate the terror that gripped his heart, time to consider the realities of death.

He was certain that, unlike the Angel, Viser wouldn't spare him any pain.

'_Am I…am I really going to die again?' _Naruto paled, his skin growing heated and flushed with nerve-wracking dread. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he trembled, his heart thumping in his chest, _'This is it. T-This time, it's for real, isn't it? No coming back…'_

"**Come out now!"**

Regrets suddenly filled his mind. He had never gotten to say goodbye to his mother, never gotten to give her one last hug or thank her for doing her best for his sake. He wished he had the chance to speak with Kiba or even Issei for one last time, to just sit down and have a conversation with them. He wanted to go to Ichiraku's for one final bowl of ramen and exchange pleasantries with Teuchi and Ayame and bid them goodbye.

His hands trembling, Naruto reached up and grabbed his hands as he slumped to the floor, his numb body suddenly weighted down with emotions.

"**I will**_** kill**_** you!"**

'…_What?' _Naruto raised his head, staring off in the direction Viser's voice had rung out from.

"**When I find you I will kill you, you sniveling weakling!"**

It was odd. Those words, to anyone else, would've inspired a sensation of horror and defeat. For Naruto, however, that was not so. As Viser said those words, a sense of familiarity washed over Naruto. Despite the dark tone of those words, he had heard them uttered so many times in his life that they were actually…comforting. He heard those words practically every day, from nearly every punk that stepped up to get put down by the blonde delinquent.

Naruto couldn't help himself.

He started to laugh.

He had been so stupid as to think this situation was any different than those other times those words had been screamed at him, so foolish to treat these circumstances as though it had been his first experience with them that he had to laugh at himself. True, there were some key differences, such as Viser being a Devil and the fact that he was trapped in a house with her, but the principle of the matter was the same—he was cornered by odds that anyone would find impossible to overcome, be it due to being incredibly outnumbered or being under assault by the paranormal.

He just had his back pressed against the wall on this occasion a little more than the others, both literally and figuratively. Maybe he was wrong to think so, maybe he had gone insane and was clinging to that idea to avoid grasping the true danger before him, but suddenly Naruto found himself brimming with confidence. Naruto smirked, _'Okay, it's time for round two.'_

Outside the walls, Viser could hear the laughter of her prey. His position within the dividers made his cackling seem as though it was echoing throughout the entire house, surrounding her and coming from all directions. It infuriated her to no end.

She redoubled her efforts, stabbing away at the walls with even greater intensity, **"Don't you laugh at me, boy!"**

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that I realized how pathetic you are."

"**Silence!" **Viser roared. Not only did his laughter echo, but his voice did as well. His laughter filled her ears again.

"Take this goddamn house for example. You're so terrified of leaving it that you'd rather starve and wait for dumbasses to walk into your nest than go out and eat."

Viser screamed in fury, **"Shut up!"**

"And you were calling me a coward!? Ha!"

"**Be quiet!" **she ordered, backing away from the walls and trying to locate the source of the voice. The echo made it nigh impossible, however.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it? I can't believe I was ever afraid of you. You're like a bad joke."

"**I'll teach you to insult me!" **Viser growled, eying the walls. There was nothing about this situation that didn't infuriate her, nothing about it that didn't make her want to see the blonde suffer for his transgressions against her glory.

"Like I said, a bad joke—real bad, but what the hell? I'll laugh anyway."

His laughter resumed echoing all around Viser, who turned to and fro as she tried to find where it was coming from, backing further and further into the kitchen. Growling, she roared, **"I will finish you, you hear me!? I'm going to put an end to you, boy!"**

Her serpentine tail hissed loudly as a weight dropped onto her back. Shocked and rigid, Viser turned her head to find Naruto smirking at her as he straddled her back. In her quest to find the source of Naruto's laughter, she had been so furious that she hadn't noticed that she had backed up to the pantry again. Naruto had doubled back to the hole in the wall he had initially crept into and taken advantage of her distracted state to get atop her.

"I spent the most boring seven hours of my life coming up with different attacks to use with my Light," Naruto muttered to the shocked Devil, "You get to have the honor of being my Guinea pig!"

Channeling Light into his hands, Naruto pulled both back before letting them fly forward and slam into the monstrous female's back. The blows came one after another in succession, never stopping, never slowing down, and each felt as though a sledgehammer was colliding full-force with Viser's body. Each knuckle that dug into her skin earned a new scream of pain from the Devil, every blow a hammer driving a maddening nail into her mind.

This was the power of the holy element striking out against its oldest foe, the demonic. Her pale, perfect complexion began to shrivel and burn under the assault, her skin decaying simply by coming into contact with the Light. Viser was absolutely stunned, shocked and unable to move beneath the onslaught of fists. She couldn't even block them if she wanted to—Naruto's fists had become a blur, just streaks of white Light that lit up the darkness as though it were a guiding light.

"I call this one…" Naruto grinned, not letting up on his assault in the least, "**Breakdown**!"

It was a simple concept, really. The Light had improved Naruto's strength and, as he would later test out, his speed. Ordinarily, throwing punches in rapid succession without taking any time to build up strength and ready your muscles results in a weaker punch. With the Light infused into his fists, however, Naruto found that he could launch as many punches as he wanted as fast as he wanted and still pack quite a bit of power behind them through use of the Light's boosted strength and speed.

Viser grit her teeth, willing her power to manifest and protect her from the attack. Her ears became elongated, sharpened like knives, and her eyes, once large and dark with allure, narrowed, her pupils slitting and veins webbing out like cracks in a sheet of glass. Pearly, flawless teeth splinted and cracked, rising up to become inch-long, needle-like razors as she ran her forked tongue across every individual tooth. Curves turned to thin, undefined bone as her arms stretched, increasing the range of her dagger-like nails.

Mustering her newfound strength even under the relentless rainfall of strikes, Viser reared back and attempted to throw Naruto off her backside. Reaching down, the blonde quickly grabbed a hold of her fur with one hand to steady himself while continuing to attack with the other hand.

"**G-Get off of me, you insolent little brat!"** Viser roared as she tried to fling Naruto off her, bucking around like a wild bull. Naruto held fast, however.

"Alright, time to end this!" the blonde declared as he began to build up more and more Light energy into his left hand. Hearing those words, Viser snapped.

"**No…No! I refuse to be killed by a mere child!" **she shrieked. Bending her powerful legs, she leapt back, slamming herself and Naruto into the nearby wall. The rotting support couldn't hold either the force of her leap or the weight of her massive body. It crumbled as she hurled both of them through it as if it were a window. The pair landed in the hallway next to the kitchen, having fallen clean through the torn wall to the other side, covered in bits of drywall and dust.

Viser was the first to rise to her feet, quickly scanning through the dust and debris to find the groaning form of Naruto, who had been unfortunate enough to land underneath her gigantic body, his body half hidden under the broken wood and plasterboard. She wasted no time in raising a single powerful paw and extending its honed claws before slamming it mercilessly onto the blonde's chest.

"G-Grah!" Naruto cried out in pain as the dagger-like claws cut into his flesh and the unbearable pressure and weight of Viser's paw crushed down on his torso. As she felt the bones crack underfoot, Viser's mad, lustful smile returned to her face, her eyes wide and screaming with pleasure at the sight of Naruto's pain.

"**Yes, yes! Scream for me!" **she cooed, forcing more pressure onto the blonde, **"I want to hear you suffer, boy! I want to see every cut and bruise I give you play out on your pitiful expression!"**

"B-Bitch!" Naruto grunted out, his mind overridden with pain and face contorted from his suffering.

"**Where is that mouth of yours now!? The mouth that called me a coward, the mouth that dared to say I was pathetic!" **Viser raved, leering down at her captured prey, **"Laugh! I want to hear you laugh as you die beneath my feet like the insect that you are! Laugh!"**

To her great surprise, Naruto did.

The blonde chuckled, "Y-You…y-you're j-j-just like e-everyone else…"

Viser snarled, **"What was that, boy!?"**

"Y-You always talk…in-instead of f-f-finishing the job!" Naruto lifted his left hand, which had been hidden under the debris Viser had created by smashing through the wall. His hand glowed a fierce golden radiance, shining brilliantly in the dark hallway and blinding Viser the second she so much as glanced to it. Naruto grinned, blood dribbling from the side of his mouth, "**Death Magnetic**!"

Reaching out, he touched his left hand to the blinded Viser, laying his palm against the dark fur of her front leg. Viser, unable to see, was unsure of what was happening to her, but she felt an unpleasant stinging sensation fall upon her leg where Naruto had grasped her. As the world slowly began to bleed back into her view, the Devil looked downwards to see what the blonde had done.

Her leg, once proud and powerful with defined musculature, was now nothing more than bone and fur. It looked as though she had aged a thousand years all at once, all in a single moment. It shook against her will, a spasm overtaking the limb. Slowly, its hair began to fall away and dried skin began to join it soon afterwards—the leg was decaying before its owner's eyes.

She screamed out in fear, backing away from the blonde as her limb turned to dust. Suddenly, that same stinging sensation resounded in her other front leg and both her hind legs. The dull stab filled both her animal torso and her human body, working its way up and up along her insides until she could finally feel it everywhere on her form. She watched, eyes tearing up from fear and frustration, as her body slowly lost its features, as the proud form she had once exalted withered away before her very eyes.

"W-What have you done to me!?" Viser cried out, dread gripping her heart as she realized that the rest of her body would soon share the same fate as her lost limb.

"Like it?" Naruto grinned mockingly up at her, "I call it **Death Magnetic**. I figured that if I packed enough Light into my hand and used your body as a conductor for it, it would have a pretty nice effect. After all, I didn't think a Devil like you would get along too well with something called holy Light. It took a while to charge up enough power, but it was well worth it if you ask me—you've never looked better, Viser."

It was an idea Naruto had come up with while sneaking up on Viser, one that he had hoped would end the fight. Sirzechs had told him the other night that the Light took on the form chosen by its wielder. Taking a gamble and putting his faith in the man's words, Naruto decided to see if he could channel his Light energy into other living beings, namely Viser. As he watched her fade away before his very eyes, the blonde decided that his idea had been a smashing success.

"You…you **bastard!"** Viser screamed, struggling to reach out to Naruto, wishing that she were just a bit closer so that she could strangle the delinquent, **"I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart!"**

"Take your best shot," Naruto smirked, standing up and holding out his arms, "I'm right here—come and get me."

She couldn't move. She simply didn't have the strength to stand, much less lift herself up to lash out against her victorious prey. Death was swiftly approaching—it was now only a matter of time for the Devil Viser. So, casting one last glance at the domain she had ruled over for so long, Viser lifted her head to the Heavens and howled out one last cry, as if cursing God himself. Naruto watched as she fell shortly afterwards, now a mere pile of dust and bones scattered amongst the dirt and garbage that littered the abandoned home.

Glancing down at the puncture wounds on his chest and shoulder, Naruto grimaced, "Well, I ruined another uniform. At least this one's not mine, I guess."

He left Viser's remains and the abandoned home behind him, now distant memories as he headed for the last destination he had to visit before finally returning home. Azazel was awaiting his answer and, despite the hell he had gone through, the man had been right—meeting Viser had cemented the blonde's decision. With his mind settled, Naruto limped off towards Azazel's home.

~.~.~

"If I wasn't absolutely fucking exhausted right now, I would so beat your ass into the ground."

Azazel blinked, "…Well, good evening to you as well, Naruto-kun. Please, do come in."

As the clock had struck midnight, Azazel had heard his doorbell ring. Then it rang again…and again…and again. Whoever was at his door was pressing the button over and over again, relentlessly sending the chime of the bell throughout the house until the leader of the Fallen Angels finally reached the door and opened it. The wise commander found a battered and bruised Namikaze Naruto standing on his doorstep, glaring at him with enough heat and intensity to light a campfire.

Shutting the door behind him, Azazel watched as Naruto kicked off his shoes and stalked over to his living room before plopping down on the couch, letting out a long, relieved sigh. Chuckling, Azazel quickly joined him in the room, taking a seat opposite of the blonde, "I trust you found your meeting to be enlightening?"

"Fuck you," Naruto groaned, "You could've at least warned me I was walking into the home of a psycho bitch that had an appetite for people. What was up with her, anyway? None of the Devils I've seen have looked anything like her."

"I could've warned you, but that would've defeated the purpose of your encounter with Viser. You needed to realize that not only were your powers strong enough to survive in this paranormal environment, but also that there is great evil in the world, the likes of which only people like you can stop. Had you had ample time to prepare in advance, the effect would be nowhere near as sobering," Azazel explained, "Besides, I wouldn't have sent you if I didn't think you couldn't handle a measly Stray Devil."

"A…Stray Devil?" Naruto frowned.

"You go to school with Rias Gremory, correct?" Azazel questioned. Seeing Naruto's nod, he continued, "Then you must know by now about Peerages. Well, a Stray Devil is a Devil that has broken the contract of Peerage by betraying their master. This, as you have seen, can lead to some interesting mutations should the Devil be of weak mind and allow their powers to grow out of control. Trust me when I say there are far more terrifying strays out there than Viser could've ever hoped to be."

A Stray Devil more powerful than Viser? Naruto grimaced—he certainly didn't want to run into one of those for a while, not at least until he got a better grip on his powers. Naruto sighed, "Well, whatever. I'll deck you later, but for now, I'm too tired to get into it."

"I see," Azazel hummed, smiling slightly at the youth's attitude, "But you aren't simply here to ask me about Stray Devils, are you? I trust you have come to a conclusion?"

"Yeah, I have," Naruto sat up, "Before that, though, do you still have my smokes and lighter?"

Azazel blinked, reaching into his pockets, "As a matter of fact, I do. I figured you might want them back when we next met."

Azazel handed the delinquent his pack of cigarettes and his lighter, which the blonde took appreciatively. Pulling one cigarette from the pack, Naruto pocketed the rest and took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.

"The other night…my life really got twisted up, ya know? I got these weird powers, I was thrown into this world where Angels and Devils are the norm, someone I believed in and looked up to my whole life turned out to be nothing but a liar…and at first I thought it had all been pointless. Like everything I had tried to do up until now was meaningless. I couldn't do right by my dad and my mom and I were living lies that we were tricked into believing," Naruto muttered, gripping his lighter, "When you asked me if I wanted to lose my memory of those things…I can't lie. It sounded really good to me, to just have things go back to the way they were before."

Naruto lifted his head to meet Azazel's gaze.

"But things can't go back to the way they were. What's happened has happened and I can't run away from that," Naruto declared, "The only thing I can do now is make the best of a bad situation and move on with my life. If that means using these powers to put down Stray Devils, fine. If that means having to put up with Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels and all their baggage, okay. If that means accepting my father for what he was…then I guess I don't have a choice, but I have to know the truth. I know I can't change the story's ending, but I still need to read the book if I ever want to close it."

Azazel listened to the young man's impassioned words, felt the conviction in his stare, and smiled, "I think you've made a fine choice, Naruto-kun."

"I do too," Naruto returned Azazel's smile with one of his own, flipping on his lighter to finally smoke the cigarette he'd been craving all day, "So, Azazel-san, let's talk about Zadkiel. I want to know everything you have to tell me about my dad."

"I'm not sure if what I know will be of much use. Zadkiel never did join my organization, so I can't tell you much about his fall and what happened afterwards," Azazel nodded, "But I will tell you everything I know about your father before the Great War."

Azazel and Naruto sat there, on those couches, talking well into the early hours of the morning. After getting his wounds cleaned and bandaged, the Fallen Angel had seen Naruto off before finally retiring for bed. Stepping out onto the streets, Naruto breathed in the fresh morning air, with one great weight lifted from his shoulders and another set upon it.

Despite it all, Naruto held a serene smile on his face the entire walk home, _'I said it earlier, didn't I? A new me…well, I guess it's time to see what this new me can do.'_

~.~.~

_What the hammer? What the chain,  
In what furnace was thy brain?  
What the anvil? What dread grasp,  
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!_

~.~.~

Naruto's Light Techniques:

Breakdown: Naruto channels Light into his fists and arms, increasing his punching speed and power to tremendous levels and allowing him to slaughter opponents with an onslaught of rapid-fire punches. While still considerably damaging, it does not do the same amount of damage as Death Magnetic, but is far easier to pull off, as it also stuns his opponents under the heavy blows. Range: None.

Death Magnetic: Naruto stores and channels a tremendous amount of Light energy directly from his palm into the body of an opponent. A devastating way to deal pure Light damage to a foe, flawed only by the considerable time it takes to charge and the fact that it has absolutely no ranged capabilities, as Naruto must have his hand upon the opponent. Depending on the amount of Light in the attack and the opponent's weakness to Light, the attack's results can range from simple burns to completely dissolving body parts. Range: None.

* * *

Oh ye of little faith. You don't know how many reviews and messages I got from people concerned that Naruto was going to be turned into a Devil. Surprise! He isn't. Hopefully you guys liked how I handled that or, at the very least, like that he isn't a Devil.

That said, oh good Lord are my eyes tired and my hands sore. Over twenty thousand words, people. This chapter is over twenty thousand words. I normally write in web layout, but in print layout, you are currently reading page forty-four. I have a hard enough time writing twelve pages for my courses, and I can just sit back and crank out a forty-four page chapter in a little over two weeks. Life's not fair. That said, please remember that not all chapters will be this long. I think I'd have to shoot myself if that were the case, because I hate editing what I've written. It's not as much fun reading a story if you know exactly what happens.

With that out of the way, let's respond to some of the concerns you guys raised, shall we? If I seem a bit grumpy when answering these concerns, I apologize in advance. It's 2:10 A.M. and I just got done with my first week of classes, including three three-hour classes all scheduled at night.

_Naruto's smoking_: I'm actually kind of surprised that people had an issue with this. I just didn't think that many of you would really notice it too much. Most of you seemed to assume that I did it because I thought it was "badass" or because it reinforced the delinquent status I was giving Naruto. Now, before you guys go commenting against my decision to have Naruto smoke, I want you to know that I didn't have him smoke for no reason. It will tie into the story later and his relationship with Minato. Will other characters tell him he's stupid for smoking? Yeah, Koneko being the prime example, but that's not to say it will just stop, because he has a reason to do it.

_Naruto's an OC_: This is not a reply to those of you who commented that Naruto was, understandably, a bit out of character given that he is raised in a different environment. This is a reply to the single person who thought I had completely created my own original character and was just calling him Naruto. I honestly can't believe I actually have to address this, but I did get one comment about it so let's address it before I get more like it. No, Naruto is not an OC. The person who commented this seemed to think that because there is no Kyuubi in this story, I have clearly created an OC…really? Does Naruto's character not extend past the fox? Is that all it takes to capture Naruto's character, his essence—just slap as many fox-related things onto him as possible and have him like ramen? Is that how far our appreciation of a character as fans can go? Because if it is, I honestly don't know what to say about the fandom anymore. It doesn't matter that I kept the fact that he hates school and likes to slack off, it doesn't matter that I kept his relationships with Teuchi and Ayame, it doesn't matter that I kept his hobby of gardening, it doesn't matter that Kushina is there and has a similar relationship to what we've seen they would have in a lot of "what-if" pictures by Kishimoto, it doesn't matter that he is still for the most part alienated from his peers and people in general—as long as he doesn't have the fox, it's just not Naruto apparently.

_Naruto becoming a part of a Peerage: _Not likely or planned by me at all, at least not permanently. So, unless one of you kills me and assumes direct control, don't worry about it, guys.

_Sirzechs is a dick_: Yeah, yeah, he is. Before I go any further on this point, I should correct some of you who seem to think that Sirzechs was the one who arranged Rias' marriage and that he has any say in stopping it. Not only was Lord Gremory, Rias' and Sirzechs' father, the one to arrange the marriage, Sirzechs is no longer a part of the Gremory clan after having assumed the title of Lucifer. Sirzechs stepping in and denying the marriage would be like Obama stepping in and preventing my sister from marrying her fiancé—it would cause a goddamn shit-storm of titanic proportions.

I will tell you guys what I told one reviewer who messaged me about Sirzechs' actions. He does it for his family, but he is an asshole and it was one giant dick move. I didn't choose the name for my story on a whim, nor did I pick the poem that is in the story by chance. "Fearful symmetry" is a famous line in William Blake's poem, _The Tyger_. The line describes the tiger as a wild, violent creature that also conveys a sense of order and control due to its striped design appearing symmetrical. Sirzechs is a tiger. He is powerful and fear-inducing, but there is an order to his violence and wisdom to his instinct. Of course he could've struck a bargain with Naruto, of course he could've reasoned with the blonde. But why be a negotiator when you can be an arbiter? Sirzechs is a Devil, a concerned brother, and a military leader that led his troops to victory. He understands the importance of control and that holding all the cards is better than splitting them. Does that excuse his actions? No, of course not. But it makes him a wiser leader and a more interesting character, in my humble opinion, that he still makes the choice anyway.

_Naruto is stupid: _Now this is one I really didn't see coming, but one person thought that I had made Naruto too dumb. Granted, he certainly isn't book-smart by any means—he always cuts class and hates school. But he's also observant and can pick up on keen details and he is good at thinking on his feet, as I've hopefully shown with this chapter a bit more. Is he by any means a genius? No, of course not, but I wouldn't go as far as to call him stupid.

I think that's everything. Sorry if I overloaded you guys at the end there with my replies to your concerns/reviews, but I just want to make sure you guys know why I choose to do certain things. So, please review and tell me how I did, because if I was unsure about the last chapter, I am really unsure about this chapter.

How do you guys like the concept of Naruto's Light powers and the first two moves he has? How do you guys like Azazel's backstory and what you've learned so far about Zadkiel? Did you enjoy Naruto's interactions with Azazel, with Akeno, and with Rias? Did you guys like the fight between Naruto and Viser? I know, a fight scene with Viser where she doesn't just immediately gets bodied—I think that may be a first for all of DxD history. How was my grammar/writing? Most importantly, are you guys enjoying the story? Because if you aren't, tell me. There's no point in my writing it if you guys aren't enjoying it.

Finally, I just wanted to say that with school starting back up, updates may take a little while longer. I'm kind of a slow writer as it is and I doubt school will help with that. Well, I'm going to go collapse before waking up to edit this twenty-thousand word chapter.

As always, thanks for stopping by guys and have a good one.


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